The Disappearing Well
by chair-chan
Summary: Kagome is hopelessly lost in the Western Lands. Will she find her way out, or will Sesshomaru ensnare her, first as a captive, then as a friend? Read and hopefully review to find out!
1. Hide and Seek

The Disappearing Well

By chair-chan

Posted 8-27-06

Edited 8-12-07

Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. All characters and some settings are borrowed from her. Any OC's belong to me (chair-chan) exclusively.

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Kagome sighed. This was really not going well. She just _knew_ the gods were laughing at her. She must have passed the well ages ago, but she would not change directions. No, she would not change directions and become more muddled than she already was.

Five hours later...

Kagome sighed for what seemed to be the fiftieth time. '_Just to that hill._' She told herself. '_Just to that hill..._' She was hopelessly lost and confused, but at least she knew what direction she was going: west. Suddenly she heard a cry.

"Kagome-sama! Rin-chan is so glad to see you! Rin-chan ran away from Jaken-sama, to hide, and Jaken-sama never found her. Only now, Rin-chan is lost, and she can't find the way home. Rin-chan is tired and hungry. Rin-chan is sure Sesshomaru-sama will find her, but Rin-chan is not sure when. Until then, will Kagome-sama look after Rin-chan?" The little girl looked expectantly up at Kagome. Kagome was silent a few minutes, trying to understand all of Rin's chattering. Finally, she untangled the web of words, and nodded. "Yay!" Rin yelled. "Now Rin-chan has a mommy." She continued babbling. By this time, Kagome was so tired that she just sat down and decided that this was to be their camp. Kagome's last thought before she fell asleep was '_how does Sesshomaru put up with her?_' Then she fell into the dreamless sleep of those who are truly exhausted.

"Kagome-sama, wake up! Wake up!" Kagome groaned and opened her eyes. And then promptly shut them. And then opened them again. The first thing she saw was Rin, the child giving a cheery gap-toothed grin. Then she saw the scary thing: a tall, cold, white haired form looking down at her in disgust. She shivered and tried to wind her nonexistent sleeping bag more tightly around herself as he snorted. Finally, he spoke.

"What are you doing on my lands?" Oh shit. Maybe west wasn't such a great direction to walk in...

Again, Kagome shivered. "I...I was lost." She said in as bold a voice as she could muster.

"I see." There was no knowing what he was thinking, although, knowing him, Kagome would bet her clothes it was something like 'pathetic human.' (She was right)

He suddenly hoisted her over his shoulder and strode off.

"Come Rin." He beckoned with one pale hand. The little girl scampered after him.

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"Where are you taking me?" no answer, no surprise. "I asked you a question." Silence. "You are so annoying!" she beat on his back. He glanced at her, amused, and then turned his attention back to Rin. Kagome sighed in defeat, deciding to rest her raw throat. And, typically, it was when she had given up that he decided to speak.

"You have many questions, human." He noted. She stayed silent. "I am taking you wherever I please. I am and have been aware that you have been talking to me. I simply do not care. The opinions of a human mean nothing to me."

"Why not!" Kagome asked, enraged. He simply snorted and ignored her. He apparently was not going to answer her, so she gave up once more. They traveled in silence, only stopping when Rin complained of hunger. After the first two days, he let her down occasionally and let her walk on her own. She was grateful for the chance to stretch her legs.

Each day got colder and colder, till finally she was shivering whenever she stopped walking. She started gathering wood for fires at night. Sesshomaru didn't say anything, so she kept on doing it. She lived off the food in her pack, but she wondered what would happen when the depleted supplies ran out. She shuddered and shoved the thought out of her mind.

On the seventh day they reached a bog. Strangely, Sesshomaru nodded in satisfaction, and stepped right into a patch of what looked like quicksand. Suddenly the bog turned into a gloomy forest. His next step took him right into a tree. The forest morphed into a lake; his dog-paddle brought him to a big, ferocious looking shark. As soon as he touched it, the lake melted into a clearing, and stayed. A humongous shiny wooden wall suddenly appeared. Kagome gasped and stared.

"Don't worry!" Rin exclaimed. "The big fish scared Rin-chan too, the first few times! But now it makes Rin-chan laugh! Right, Sesshomaru-sama? Sesshomaru stared at her and gave a slight nod.

"_That_ is where we are going, human." Sesshomaru said as he pointed to the shiny wooden wall. Then he slung Kagome over his shoulder, hoisted Rin on top of her, and held on while he used his demonic speed to swiftly cover the road.

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Kagome sighed and buried her face in her hands. When had things gone so wrong? She was supposed to be at home, taking her mid-terms, but instead she was stuck here...wherever here was! All she knew was that it was in a westerly direction compared to where she had gotten lost, which was no help at all. She sighed again.

She had been in this room for ten days, and she was starting to go crazy. Sesshomaru had pretty much just kidnapped her, and he expected her to live with it? Well she wouldn't! She would escape! Never mind that there was always a guard at her door or that she didn't know where she was! She would prevail...Kagome deflated. How could she!

As soon as they had reached the huge gleaming wall, they had been ushered through. The next wall was made of stone and was two meters thick. Inside this ring was a humongous round courtyard, ringed by the last inner wall. This one was also stone, but was five meters thick instead of just two. To top it all off she could sense magical protections anchored around each of the walls, enclosing Sesshomaru's fortress in layered domes. Whatever he kept in there, he sure must have wanted it to be safe!

She had been blindfolded, and carried to this room. It was not a terrible room for a prisoner; there was a nice carpet on the floor, an abundance of candles, a small dresser, and a thin futon. Every three days Jaken brought in a medium sized portable bath, which always contained lukewarm water. He always left it in the middle of the room, along with a towel, and left to allow her to cleanse herself. She had found a bar of soap on her bed, and used it vigorously.

Kagome had explored the contents of the dresser that had been carried in not five minutes after she had arrived so many times that she knew them by heart. She had two traditional kimono, worn but serviceable. Also in the drawers were a pair of slippers, one obi, a sash, and a sleeping robe. Unfortunately, as she only had two kimono, she always used her bathwater to wash her clothes.

Kagome sighed. She supposed she was fortunate, but she didn't feel lucky. And it was at that precise second when things got worse.

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Sesshomaru had pondered the puzzle of the miko for ten days, and he had finally reached an acceptable decision: she would be his personal maid. He had considered several other posts for her such as the castle miko, Rin's teacher/mother, and servant girl. Miko he discarded because she didn't seem very in-control of her power. Any trained miko would have the power to call heat to herself (and her bathwater), or to at least _try_ to purify him and/or escape. The fact that she had not done so meant that either she did not have the power, which he knew she did, or that she couldn't do what any common miko could due to other reasons.

He had his doubts on whether she was well learned and behaved enough to teach Rin, let alone mother her. He could always keep that post open. He stood up, away from his seat before his desk, satisfied with the solution to the annoyance of the girl. It had never crossed his mind to kill her; she had shown bravery in several of their encounters, and loyalty. In a world where most humans had lost sight of honor and scruples, it was a rare treasure that still possessed these fading traits.

So it was decided. She would personally see to his needs. He strode out of the room, heading toward hers.

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Kagome lay dejectedly on her futon. She sighed, feeling the grip of self-pity. Why had all of this happened to her? Why not Naraku, or someone who deserved it! Why should she be jailed with a heartless enemy! Kagome spent a few more minutes in her contemplations, until she heard a click and a creaking sound that signified her door had been unlocked and was opening. She whipped around to face the squeaky object, eyes wide as the heartless enemy of her thoughts materialized in front of her.

She sighed, fearlessly meeting his amber orbs.

"What do you want from me?" she asked resignedly. His cold eyes never left hers.

"You shall become my personal maid." He said quietly. There was a harshness that belied his soft tone. His features showed surprise when she started giggling, then laughing outright in his face.

"You show much merriment for one whose life is about to be devoted to servitude." He noted, perplexed.

"That's it!" she gasped, wiping a tear from her eye. "That's it. I wander onto your lands, with the help of _your_ ward, I may add, who I was helping to find her way back to you, so you decide to kidnap me. You force-march me around for seven days, lock me up for who knows how long, and then after I have spent up to a full moon in your captivity, living with little food, not enough clothes, and infrequent baths-" this she said with the most malice, "-you expect me to become your maid just because you ask me nicely! In fact, not so nicely!!" She continued her hysterical giggles, now mixed in with sobs, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her kimono.

"Well, Sesshomaru, even if you say pretty please with a cherry on top...no! Stuff it up your ass, you pompous, arrogant, son of a bitch! Oh, wait, I forgot! You can't stuff it up your ass! You already have that enormous stick up it. And while I'm at it, I suppose being a son of a bitch isn't an insult, because it's true! And don't think about _my_ tender feelings! Oh, no. Of course not! Little innocent Kagome can suffer a little more! I'm sure she won't mind! I already told you where to shove it, you inconsiderate prick. The next time you feel like kidnapping someone just to make them become your servant, you can think about this, and see if it's really worth it!" She finished, her giggles now all turned into angry sobs. For a moment she drew back, but just when he thought she was done, she brought up her hand, and slapped him. For a moment he stared at her, stunned. For those insults he could kill her twenty times over, and none, not even the biggest human-lover in existence, would ever fault him.

"I take it that's a no." he said with a strange tone in his normally steely voice. 'Oh well.' He thought. 'I can always find another maid.'

He raised his claws, and readied himself, seeing that she was cornered in the locked room...


	2. Dead

The Disappearing Well

By chair-chan

Posted: 9-15-06

Edited 8-12-07

Dead

Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. All characters and some settings belong to her. Any OC's belong to me (chair-chan) exclusively.

A/N: Sorry about the update...what happened? School happened...and sadly, that is more important than this. Updates will come sooner in later parts of the story, because I already have parts of that written out.

P.s. A/N: Who knows how old I am? Guess! (It's amusing…tee hee!)

Say it in reviews!

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Kagome refused to cower like an idiot. She would stand bravely, resigning herself to her fate. Her doe-like eyes opened wide, staring at the hand that came up like lightning. Which then stopped. She looked questioningly to the owner of the hand, who had a blank look on his face. The hand came up, only to gently cup her cheek. Sesshomaru stared at her for a little while longer, then dropped his hand, and his gaze. As she looked on in shock, he walked away. When he was almost to the locked door, he turned around.

"You were spared this eve, human. I will not do so again. You _will_ become my personal maid, whether you like it or not. I do not feel like finding another human, therefore in two days time, on the morn of the second day, you shall follow the servant that I will send you, and you will report to me in my bedroom, or I will make Inuyasha's life a living hell. Understood?" This whole speech was delivered with a deadpan expression and a deadly whisper.

Kagome gasped. This attack from a new, unexpected direction startled and scared her. She whimpered.

"You would really hurt him, just because I disobey you?" her voice contained infinite sadness. With his silence, the truth became clear. Sesshomaru really would hurt his brother—his own brother!—just because she displeased him. Kagome closed her eyes. She could not believe him!

"Well?" Sesshomaru prompted, a hint of impatience tingeing his tone.

Kagome sighed, and nodded her consent. "Okay." She said, not knowing what else to do. If she didn't agree with him, he would kill Inuyasha!

Sesshomaru took in her sign of agreement, and swept regally out of the room. After he left, Kagome heard the familiar creak and smack of the door closing and the bolt sliding into place. As soon as she was certain that Sesshomaru was no longer within hearing range, she collapsed onto her futon. Just that one time, Kagome broke down and wept.

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Sesshomaru wandered out of her room and into the hallways of his immense fortress. '_What possessed me?_' he wondered. '_She is just a human. And not a very pretty one, at that. Why did I just think that? She is not exceptionally talented, or skilled. Why did I spare her life?_' Sesshomaru finally found himself in his dojo. His lips twitched upward. Exercise had never failed to focus his thoughts and give him purpose. As he practiced his katas, Sesshomaru let his mind wander. He went over all of his encounters with his brother's peculiar human.

The first time he had seen her was when she had followed Inuyasha to his father's grave. She had observed them fighting, and had encouraged Inuyasha to draw his father's sword. She had continued, insulting Sesshomaru, saying that if Inuyasha could pull out the sword, it would prove Sesshomaru weak, and destroy his honor. Without that flame under his tail, Inuyasha might never have tried to draw the legendary fang.

Of course, Inuyasha had failed, but the girl had jumped to his rescue, battling Jaken with ferocious but amateur attacks. Really, all she did was step on Jaken and slap him around a little. Then, thanks to an attack of the imp's, she landed right next to the revered katana. She had grasped it, to keep from falling over. Then she had seen him (Sesshomaru) attacking Inuyasha. As she rushed to Inuyasha's aid once more, she had kept her hold on Tetsusaiga, pulling it out without even noticing what she had done. Then, when she did notice that she had mastered a sword that had rejected two more powerful beings, she looked nervous.

"Sorry," she had said. "I pulled it out." That had made him want to laugh so hard he rolled on the floor. But of course he didn't. Because he was Sesshomaru.

Jaken had wondered out loud how a mere human girl with no apparent talents had managed to pull the sword from the stone in which it was imprisoned. Indeed, Sesshomaru had pondered the same thing, but put it out of his mind as Inuyasha chose that exact moment to attack. But instead of parrying, Sesshomaru chose to inspect the girl. Inuyasha had noticed his interest, and had proceeded to threaten him. But he had not been the first to spout out dire warnings.

When he had neared the girl, she had kept the stolen blade up, in a bad imitation of his own sword-stance.

"Keep away." she had ordered him in a voice wavering as much as her weapon was. "Keep away...or I'll slice you!" He had been amused by her resistance and apparent courage. She no doubt knew who he was. The fact that she was still standing there was testimony of her bravery. He had attacked her then, killing her. Or so he had thought.

He had been bored and disappointed that she had not survived his attack; an ordinary girl had withdrawn the Tetsusaiga from its stone bonds. He had been surprised when Inuyasha had attacked him with renewed vigor, succeeding in cracking his breastplate. Such anger over a human girl. Sesshomaru concluded that Inuyasha must have been soft, like his father, to fall for a weak and helpless human.

So naturally, Sesshomaru was surprised when the weak and helpless human rose intact from a pool of his most powerful poison.

"You were trying to kill me!" she yelled at him. "Well, you'll be sorry!" She had turned and handed the powerful sword to Inuyasha, who had proceeded to attack him. She had apparently been protected by the sword's ward.

Inuyasha had attacked him, to no avail. He had not yet discovered how to activate the sword's fierce power. But of course the blasted girl helped him figure that out as well...or perhaps the words _"_provoked him" would be more apt. As soon as he had brashly yelled that he would protect her, the sword had come to life, enabling Inuyasha to slice off his opponents arm.

Sesshomaru had retreated, but he never stopped thinking about her, the human girl that didn't back down.

That had only been the first of their many encounters. As time passed on, he grew more and more curious about her. He even helped their group fight Naraku because he wanted to learn more about the strange girl. And now he had her in his possession. He would not waste such an opportunity to study her. This was yet another reason to keep a resource such as this close to him.

He finished the last of his kata, mind focused. He sighed and walked back through the intricate maze of hallways to his study. He sat back down at his desk and began reviewing papers.

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Inside her room, Kagome was just as decisive. She was sitting on her futon, meditating as Kaede had taught her. She had already decided her course of action. Rather, it had been decided for her. She had no idea how to get out, and even if she did, she would have nowhere to go. She would have to stay here, that was a given. Even if she did manage to escape to Inuyasha, Sesshomaru would fill in his part of the bargain and kill Inuyasha.

She would have to do as Sesshomaru suggested. She would become his maid. But she would always be ready to escape.

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Kagome spent her two free days before servitude plotting ways to make Sesshomaru miserable. Actually, she spent about fifteen minutes thinking about that, but had come up with nothing more threatening than leaving his window open at night, or making sure that his towel never dried, so that each night, his towel would still be damp when he tried to dry himself! Oh yeah, that would give him _major_ rug-burn.

She gave up when she realized that the plans she came up with were utterly moronic. She sighed and fell back onto her pillows, just thinking. For two days. By the time a servant came for her on the second day, she was almost happy. Almost. She did remember that this was the point of no return. She was about to start spending all day, every day catering to the whims of her worst enemy, who also happened to enjoy making her suffer.

The servant who came to get her was a delicate demon with brown eyes, yellow hair spotted with brown patches, and sharp-looking fangs hanging over her lip. She roused Kagome, and waited till she bathed and dressed. She then led her to a large officious-looking door, and left. She performed all of these tasks silently.

Kagome looked around nervously, and raised a hand to knock. Before she could, the door creaked open, and a pretty woman wearing warrior's clothes let her in, closing the door after her and leaning against it, guarding her master. Kagome looked around. It was a medium-sized room, airy, sparsely furnished. But what furniture was there was doubtless the best money could buy.

The pale yellow carpet she was standing on was plush, and as thick as her futon. She sighed wistfully, wanting to lie down and see how comfortable it was. A loud cough drew her attention to Sesshomaru. He glared at her from his desk. It was neat, just like every other object in the room. He was very obsessive about his neatness, Kagome observed.

"Attend." Sesshomaru ordered. "As my maid, you will fetch anything that strikes my fancy, clean up anything out of place, and over all follow my commands. While you wait, you may kneel at my feet." Kagome snorted, but settled down, amazed at his pompousness. The carpet really was comfortable...she could really fall asleep like this...

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Kagome sighed in boredom. After six hours, this kind of thing really got dull. She cautiously peered over Sesshomaru's desk, curious as to what he did all day. She saw him concentrating on—strangely—a math problem. And he was completely bungling it. She scanned the page...ah. He had dropped a zero when he multiplied...and there, he had made a completely unnecessary step. Kagome gently picked up a quill and scribbled a few numbers. Sesshomaru looked at her quizzically.

"What do you thing you're doing?" he asked stormily, annoyed at her intrusion. Kagome looked up, startled.

"I-I'm solving the problem." Sesshomaru looked at her, perplexed. He looked on as she added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided before coming out with an answer. Her solution was in a strange format, with letters and strange symbols that he did not recognize.

"I was not aware that you knew how to write." He narrowed his eyes.

"Of course I do." Kagome said absently. "Where I come from, all children learn how to write at the age of six. We continue our learning till age seventeen or eighteen."

"You were taught such advanced mathematics?" Kagome giggled.

"You call _these_ advanced mathematics? I learned these when I was twelve!" Sesshomaru growled in disbelief. "This is child's play."

Sesshomaru wrote down the hardest problem he could think of. Kagome dipped her quill in ink, and set it to a piece of bark from the stack he used for scratch-paper. Real paper was expensive, after all. Within minutes, he was staring at an answer. The correct answer, it would seem. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes again, but left her to her own devices. He did not comment when she nodded off, and even kicked her to a more comfortable position on the carpet.

And so did Sesshomaru's respect for Kagome begin.


	3. Amusements of an Unwilling Maid

The Disappearing Well

By chair-chan

Posted: I don't know…December 20 something, 2006

Edited 8-12-07

Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. All characters and some settings belong to her. Any OC's belong to me (chair-chan) exclusively.

Amusements of an Unwilling Maid

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"Fetch me a quill, girl." Kagome gritted her teeth, picked up the latest attempt at pleasing him, and marched over to his cabinets. She opened the same drawer she had opened ten times already. She reached into the same jar in the same partition, and withdrew an almost identical quill.

She put the rejected quill in another jar, which resided in another partition, and opened another cabinet, in which she found an array of knives. She trimmed the quill evenly on all sides, careful to do it correctly; Sesshomaru had used the excuse that the quill was not evenly sharpened to make her life a misery. He had made her resharpen the quill...then he decided that it was too short for his tastes. She had to get another and trim it again. And again. And again.

As noted, Sesshomaru was obsessive about his neatness. If the wrong quill went into the wrong jar, he would stare at her, waiting for her to correct her error, claiming that he could not think when she made such 'idiotic mistakes.' Kagome didn't think Sesshomaru could form coherent thought anyhow, but of course she never said so...at least not to his face. Anyways, wasn't that a little OCD?

She didn't know how he could run a kingdom when he got so many crucial—and simple—mathematic equations wrong. Every time she tried to correct or help him, she got a stony glare, and an order to fetch another quill.

His last one had had too many spots on it...it was distracting him from thinking.

The one before that one was too dark, and the one before that had been too...get this...feathery looking. And the one before that...well, he didn't need to give a lowly human maid an explanation, did he? He wanted that quill, and NOW!

Was this his retribution for her falling asleep on his floor yesterday? Because it sure seemed like he was mad at someone.

Indeed, Sesshomaru _was_ angry. He didn't know why, or at what, but he felt anger bubbling under his surface. Who else would he take it out on? His guards? He couldn't risk angering his _real_ servants; even one discontent soldier could cause dissent in the ranks.

'_Why is it you think of her as half a person?_' Grrr. His youkai.

'Shut up.' Sesshomaru snarled at it.

'_As you wish._' Sesshomaru knew the voice didn't mean it. It was just waiting for the worst possible moment to torment him. Sometimes the voice made Sesshomaru want take a sword to his head.

He remembered once when he had been a teenager. He had had a crush on some girl. He could remember everything about her, just like he remembered everyone else he met; their strengths, their weaknesses, even their obscure birthmarks. He remembered...she had had a freckle right in the middle of her forehead; he'd thought it was cute.

She'd possessed unique red-orange markings; one stripe on each side of her face, a line over her eyes, and two complete circles twining around her ankles like an affectionate cat.

He had been reclining against a gnarled old apricot tree, meditating. Suddenly, his youkai had interrupted the peace. One minute, the silent whoosh of the wind, another, the annoying, unwanted comments of an enraging, unwanted voice in his head.

His youkai had been teasing him mercilessly about the girl; he remembered exactly what it'd said. He had gotten so annoyed by it, that he had looked at the tree, listened to the voice for a second, and bashed his head on the tree. More than once. He had stopped when the object of his obsessions had come upon him, bloody and frustrated, still in the process of banging his head on the tree.

Obviously, that would have been the end of any immature relationship, had there been one. The girl had thought him mad and avoided him until she married some minor nobleman and decided to stay at his estates.

His hated voice had escaped that time, and he had not made attempts to eradicate it since then, but he had thought about it, many times. The only reason Sesshomaru did not actually kill himself was that he had a larger responsibility: the land needed a ruler, and the only ruler would be him. Since his father had died, all responsibility had landed on him; Sesshomaru had learned in his early teens how heavily duty weighed.

After he escaped an assassination attempt out of sheer luck, he started his training. As a young child, he had mastered the sword and claws, but several years of misuse had decayed these skills. He had started practicing again, quickly returning to his old skill level; in fact, he had surpassed his previous prowess. He trained with many teachers on new weapons such as the mace, short sword, throwing stars, bow and arrow, nunchucks, daggers, hand to hand fighting, and his natural weapons, his energy whip and poison claws. He repeated his exercises until he was as near perfection as one could get...and then he practiced more.

Later, Sesshomaru was glad of his dedication, as he foiled more attempts on his life at the most bizarre times; in his bath, on his strolls—even during his meals. But apparently, along the way, a restrained youngster had turned into an arrogant adult.

He sighed again and glanced up at Kagome. Her eyes were closed, and a grimace was featured on her face. He almost laughed. He had made her stand attendance to him, just to see how long she lasted. Indeed, she had lasted far longer than he had imagined. He _wanted_ her to say something; to whine, to complain. But she had not. She had been running his errands for...he glanced out his window and noted the moon already hung high in the sky...nearly fourteen hours! He noted the strain on her features, and decided to cut her some slack.

He reached over and flicked her lightly, enjoying the way she jumped to attention. She had obviously been drifting in her own thoughts. "You have my permission to bring me dinner for two." He informed her. That said, he pulled a rope she had not noticed behind his desk. Within seconds, the warrior that had guarded Sesshomaru that morning appeared.

"Yes Milord." She bowed.

"Show the human to the kitchens. Quickly."

"Yes Milord." She repeated, and gestured to Kagome, who was mildly relieved to be leaving Sesshomaru's presence…that is, until she realized what havoc he could cause with his dinner.

'_This meat is undercooked._' She imagined him complaining. '_Send it back and make them re-cook it._' She was weighed down with more trepidation as she realized the long staircases she was going descending would have to be ascended, with a heavy tray in hand. '_Oh, now it's too tough. Bring me a better cut._' Sesshomaru would say. '_This meal is too bland. Salt it._' When she brought it back to him, he would complain that it was now too flavorful. Her eyes widened as she realized how easy it would be for Sesshomaru to make the rest of her undoubtedly short life miserable. For the first time, Kagome felt despair. She would never escape. Inuyasha would never come. And if Sesshomaru would continue being the prick that he was being...she would be forced to commit suicide. There was no other way. The sooner the better. That way he couldn't hurt Inuyasha with her as hostage. Tears welled in her eyes and she resolved to slit her throat that very night. When they reached the kitchen, Kagome accepted a large and heavy tray. She managed to hide a sharp, cruel looking kitchen knife in her kimono.

'_Soon._' She thought to herself. '_Soon._'

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A/N: Just so you know...because I got one reviewer asking me this...the chapter title 'Dead' is referring to Kagome's life before Sesshomaru appeared, so to speak. By submitting into Sesshomaru's commands, she (and I) feel as if her former self is dying; she is also very discouraged and is trying to fight depression, although you do not see it yet (I just made this up on the spot! Tee hee...now I'm gonna use it in the story!). Thank you, raspberrysorbet, for inspiring this great idea!

A great big thank you to reviewers on my one-shot Once Upon a Rainy Day: A Kagome Story:

Neverfall, ReviewerWriter, and MrsVincentCrabbe

Thank you to the following reviewers on chapter one...sorry I forgot to include you last chapter! .

Robinsena369, tearsofacrescent, kyolover44, and, last but

not least, raspberrysorbet

And also, thank you to reviewers on chapter two:

Sasumiokaasan, rockiegrl, mangadreams,

Raspberrysorbet,

Jay FicLover, The-Lost-And-Broken-Butterfly,

and Mr. Kazutaka

PPS…I am soooooo sorry how late this chapter is!! I am reading this for the first time in about four months, and it is striking me how much of an amateur I was...yeah...I can only blame…..HIGHSCHOOL!!!!! My eighth grade year at a very easygoing middle school did not prepare me for the immense workload that I received at high school. I know, this is no excuse, but I haven't even had time to call my friends, let alone type my story. And, on top of that, my computer has been broken, dispelling any of my illusions of continuing. But now I'm back! No worries!


	4. Dark Secrets Revealed

The Disappearing Well

By chair-chan

Posted: 12-26-06..I think…

Edited 8-12-07

Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. All characters and some settings belong to her. Any OC's belong to me (chair-chan) exclusively.

Dark Secrets

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Kagome trudged up the endless stairs with Sesshomaru's guard at her side. She had decided that tonight, her servitude—along with her life—would end. It had been an easy decision, really. She just could not bear this. She supposed she really was a proud individual. She was not used to being ordered around, as if she were some some..._thing_! She was a human being! Although, she mused, being a human was probably what had gotten her into this mess. No demon would have overshot the well, let alone have been stupid enough to have been trapped by the Lord of the West. As Kagome was laboriously making her way up several flights of stairs with a ridiculously heavy and unwieldy tray, Sesshomaru was relaxing, comfortable in his study, thinking.

Sesshomaru wondered what was taking her so long. Weak human, taking forever to climb up five flights of stairs. Then he realized that his castle had not been built with humans in mind. Feats that seemed easy to him would be well nigh impossible for her, a human female. He shook his head, annoyed at not realizing this earlier. It would have been much quicker to send another servant for the tray; he would have already been eating.

'_And,_' his youkai reminded him, '_the girl wouldn't have had to wear herself out after a long day of perfectly performing your every whim._'

'I thought you had decided that it would be more advantageous for you to be silent.'

'_What would be the fun of that?_' his youkai asked. Sesshomaru growled and clenched his fists. He had a fiery temper, and was not used to being mocked. '_Besides_,' he heard his youkai add, 'somebody _has to keep you humble._'

If Sesshomaru could have set his own claws to his head, he would have. Instead, he gently banged his head upon the desk. He reviewed the events of the day. He had been spoiled and obnoxious, like a child. But Kagome had come through. She had done all he had asked, which had brought him some degree of amusement. The half-stifled look of hate and annoyance on her features had made him want to laugh out loud, something that he hadn't done for a long time.

His respect for her had also risen a few notches. She had not complained once the whole day. Of course, most of that was probably fear—fear for herself, for the woman she called sister, the fox she called son, the monk she called...lecher...and for Inuyasha, his own half-brother. There was no love lost between them, but Sesshomaru didn't hate his brother. When he had been younger, he had coveted the Tetsusaiga. Then he had simply wanted to confirm his position as Lord of the Western Lands. If any of his subjects favored Inuyasha as Lord, Sesshomaru would be quick to find a knife in his back, or poison in his food. With Sesshomaru dead, Inuyasha would inherit the largest and most profitable of the four princedomes. Of course, Inuyasha was an utter fool, not fit to rule. Even Sesshomaru's most disloyal nobles understood that. Thankfully, he would probably still be alive for centuries to come. But Inuyasha would still have to be taken care of.

Kagome entered with a huge tray, interrupting his train of thought. He had resolved to be...nice...to her. She had had quite her share of perhaps unjust treatment; let her forget that for an evening. Besides, aside from the fact that she had thoroughly earned this meal (she hadn't been allowed to eat anything all day.), he was curious about her. Perhaps a well-fed human would talk more than a sullen maid.

Kagome set the tray down on a low table in front of Sesshomaru. She snapped to attention at his side, still standing. She gaped at him when he stood and pushed her to the other side of the table, tapping the top of her head in a signal to sit. She collapsed onto a large pillow that had been set there, and stared at Sesshomaru. He was going about, opening this and that cupboard, providing cups, a tea service, and sake. Then he filled the tea-pot with water, and whistled.

Another guard appeared, and set his fiery gaze upon the pot. In seconds, the water was boiling. Sesshomaru filled the two cups set out before them to about half an inch below the brim. He strode to another cupboard, and pulled out a reddish mixture which looked to be made of crushed leaves. Tea leaves. He measured out a teaspoonful for each cup, and stirred. Kagome noticed dishes of honey and sugar, a commodity that she was had been certain hadn't been discovered or commercialized yet.

Sesshomaru set the sake bottle between them, moving his own small cup to the side. Kagome did the same, afraid to make a transgression. What was he thinking? He had imprisoned her for a whole month, and had forced her to become his personal maid against her will. He was a known stickler to tradition. Maids did not share meals with their masters.

Sesshomaru lifted his tea-cup to his lips. Kagome lifted her own, but did not drink. Instead, she looked at the cup. It was delicate pottery, glazed blue-green. Hints of each color blended together neatly, and the cup was almost as soothing as she imagined the tea would be. She supposed Sesshomaru liked it that way. For an instant she was staggered. All of this splendor...all of it because one man willed it so. Kagome glanced about her.

She had not noticed the details before, but Sesshomaru's suite was splendid. A thick futon lay on the floor in a corner. Beside it was a large candle. There was a desk in another corner, in neat order. The papers that Sesshomaru had been working on had disappeared into a drawer, and locked with a small silver key which had then been secreted in his boot. The quill and ink had gone into the same drawer. The only thing now left on top of the desk was a small portrait of a silver-haired lady with a crescent on her brow and a sweet smile on her face.

On the wall opposite of the magnificent dark wooden carved double doors, there was a large window, with a wide sill, outfitted with red and white pillows. A few books rested beside the window. The curtains were airy but somehow kept out the light. At this moment they were drawn, and through the glass, Kagome could see the moon and the stars. The wall which the desk faced contained a stone-looking door; Kagome could only guess what it contained. The wall opposite to the stone door was decorated with a detailed carving. The carving covered the whole wall, and depicted a giant dog on top of a hill, surrounded by vanquished enemies, a very unsubtle reminder of Sesshomaru's power. There was, as mentioned before, a plush yellow carpet covering the entire floor. Kagome sighed in envy. She would love to have this room. A few touches were needed, to be sure, but it would have been perfect for her. Too bad she was a lowly maid, not the mistress of this palace.

Reminded of her position, Kagome turned her gaze back to Sesshomaru like a startled deer, not knowing what the consequences for her inattention to her master would be. She realized that Sesshomaru was staring at her. There was an almost-smile on his face, and he had his gaze centered squarely on her. She flinched as he opened his mouth.

Sesshomaru could think of two acceptable things to say: Am I that disinteresting, or, aren't you hungry? He chose the latter, observing the flinch that preceded his words. As soon as he asked her his question, Kagome realized that she really was hungry. _Very_ hungry.

Sesshomaru had served her food, and had already dug into his meal, nearly finishing it. As Kagome gobbled up food, Sesshomaru looked at her, eating daintily and deciding what his first question would be.

"Are you enjoying your meal?" Kagome nearly fainted. He was interested in her enjoyment of her meal? Now that didn't sound like Sesshomaru. The Sesshomaru she knew would have sent her to bed without a meal. As Kagome served herself seconds, she abandoned all decorum and tore into her food. "I...apologize." Sesshomaru continued. "I did not realize how weak humans are, to need to eat every few hours."

"Why." Kagome startled herself by asking. She half-expected that he would end her life for just speaking to him. It did not matter. She was going to kill herself anyhow...although she was having second thoughts. Perhaps she would wait to see if his good-humor would extend to the next day. "How often do you need to eat?" The answer surprised her.

"Once a week, tops. I can eat as frequently as once a day if I wish it, but I really do not need the sustenance. Demons process food very slowly." Kagome nodded. After a long silence, sound issued from Sesshomaru's lips.

"Where are you from?" The sudden question threw Kagome off guard.

"Tokyo." She answered in shock. Then she realized what she had said, and clamped her mouth shut. Sesshomaru nodded, accepting her answer.

"Tokyo is a small village?" he asked. Mutely Kagome nodded, glad that he had made an explanation up for her. When she gathered her courage up, she took a deep breath.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"Doing what?" Sesshomaru asked.

"This. I'm only a lowly maid, by your own decree. Why are you going to all this trouble for a despised human?" Kagome wanted to know.

Sesshomaru glared at her. "None of your business." He got up and strode to the stone door, opening it and disappearing inside. He re-appeared toting a futon, which he un-rolled a few feet away from his. "You will sleep here." He informed her. "Your clothes are being delivered at this instant, but I suppose I shall have to get you new ones." He surveyed her, eyes showing nothing. "Pity."

True to his word, a crate carrying all of Kagome's possessions was carried into the room a few minutes later, plus a large stack of folded clothes that looked like an assortment of kimono. Sesshomaru gestured to the stack and looked at her.

"Well, get on with it." He commanded. When Kagome sent a questioning glance at him, he specified. "Find your night-kimono and get dressed."

"Where can I get changed, my Lord?" she questioned, remembering to address him properly.

"Right here." His gaze never left her. She stared at him, horrified. Sesshomaru really had no idea about human modesty. A demon would have changed then and there, wondering what all the fuss was about. But to Kagome, this was a terrible ordeal that seemed to be a punishment. Blushing, she found her night clothes, turned away from him, and undressed, trying to figure out just what she would do with the knife. She finally stuffed it into her bra; she was facing away and Sesshomaru couldn't see her. She quickly tried to don her clothes and preserve her modesty, but Sesshomaru grabbed her and spun her around.

"I smell metal." He stated. "Why do I smell metal?" it was a rhetorical question. Sesshomaru ripped open her kimono, revealing the knife. He pushed her to the ground, snarling. "It would take much more than that to kill me. Did you think that you would escape with me eliminated?" He stood over her menacingly, but Kagome was undaunted. Her means of suicide were escaping, but perhaps Sesshomaru would kill her if she said the right words.

"That knife was not meant for you, O merciful greatness, your graceful grace, my fair and just Lord. That knife is meant for me. And I would like it back." Sesshomaru glared at her, holding the knife threateningly.

"You would kill yourself because of me?" he asked, sounding tired all of a sudden. "Because of the way I treated you? You do realize that if you kill yourself no one will stop me from going after Inuyasha. Kagome sobbed as she realized this was true. "You will never get the knife back, but feel free to try starving yourself, or jumping off of a high tower, or...saying the wrong thing to me..." That last was delivered in a quiet tone, almost gentle. Kagome tried to escape as those claws reached for her, but she was backed up against the wall.

'I don't want to die yet!' was all she had time to realize before her mind went blank...

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A/N: well, I'm trying...but I think shorter chapters are preferable to infrequent updates...hey, once every four months sound good to you?...This one's six pages long in Microsoft Word...my goal for the next one is seven. We'll see if I make it. Anyhoo…

Thank you to the following reviewers for kindly responding to my recent posting of chapter three:

Fluffy4ever, Kags21, and Martyrdom-99

WOHOOOOOO!!! NO SCHOOL… (although winter break started a while ago...)


	5. The Dance of Sakura

The Disappearing Well

By chair-chan

Posted: Well, it's past midnight, so I consider it 12-28-06…re-uploaded on the 29th with some minor corrections

Edited 8-12-07

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine, okay! Deal with it...sob

The Dance of Sakura

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Kagome cowered as Sesshomaru's claws extended to her. She was roughly pulled up to her feet, and she shrank back in terror. But her body did not meet sharp claws. Instead, it was gently pressed against a warm chest. When Kagome's mind processed what had happened, she stared up at Sesshomaru. His features were drawn in grief, and his normally smirking lips trembled.

"Sakura." He whispered. Kagome barely caught it. Whatever it was, a name was not what Kagome was expecting to hear. "Why." It didn't seem like a question; rather a statement not directed at her. As she gazed on, a single tear trickled down his luminous features. Kagome turned away, embarrassed. After a few moments, though, she reached up and cradled his head. Yes, he was a cruel, rough demon, but he was hurting. After Inuyasha, Kagome definitely knew how that felt.

The moment she touched him, a tremor ran through Sesshomaru. He pulled away and shoved her to the floor yet again, turning his back and striding away. Kagome looked on, shocked for the second time that day, as he sank down into a chair placed in front of the desk. Kagome remembered that the desk displayed a small painting of a silver-haired woman. Could she be Sakura?

Suddenly, Sesshomaru wrenched away from his desk, gliding back toward her. The look on his face was far from the innocent, child-like mask he had given her mere minutes ago. It was ruthless and hard.

"You will not speak of this night to anyone." Sesshomaru commanded. "In fact, you will not communicate with anyone aside from my guards. You will not question me, and you will not mention the happenings of this eve for years to come, if you value the lives of your former traveling companions." Kagome stifled a sob. "You may retire."

Sesshomaru glared at Kagome until she crawled onto her futon. She belatedly realized that Sesshomaru had neglected to furnish her with any kind of sheets to speak of, let alone blankets. Kagome looked at him furtively. He was collapsed over his desk. He would likely spend the night there, and he would not be needing his bed-linens...Nothing could make her situation worse, Kagome figured, so she might as well be comfortable in her last hours. She silently filched Sesshomaru's blankets and cocooned. She'd see if he could get her out of _this_ by sunrise. Kagome closed her eyes, vowing not to fall asleep; she had too much to mull over. But the temptations of a warm and soft bed were too great, and the long hours obeying Sesshomaru caught up to her. She sighed and fell asleep.

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Sesshomaru cursed himself. How could he have been so stupid! Now, even though he had forbidden it, she would want an explanation. And there was too much yet to learn about her, about this Tokyo. He would not—could not—kill her off now. Sesshomaru shrugged, and set into the rare indulgence called sleep. A calming scent enticed him, and Mother Dreams welcomed him with open arms.

Sesshomaru's dream...

"It's all right, Sess. You won't fall." Child Sesshomaru looked at the fields far below him, and wondered at the blue mist gathered at his feet. He wouldn't have believed that a thing as insubstantial as mist could keep him floating, but if Sakura said he wouldn't fall, he wouldn't. She would catch him.

Young Sesshomaru ran as quickly as he could. He was following Sakura. He must not lose Sakura! Her friends had spotted him, and started running, not wanting to be stuck with the young pest. She had run after them. They were out into the woods now. Sess was about to turn back when he saw a white form in front of him. He used up the last of his energy to reach it. It was Sakura. She ran up the last few steps, catching his hand and lifting him up. "They can rot in their hiding spots for all I care." Sakura confided

Adolescent Sesshomaru, asking her how he could win the regard of a certain girl with a freckle in the middle of her forehead, blushing and stammering. Sakura with kind and gentle eyes, telling him that if a girl really liked him, presents would do no good, warning him not to become too enamored to forget his position as heir.

Then the dreams morphed. He saw scars on wrists, a bloody dagger, nearly-pristine robes marred with only one spot of red-brown, a body splattered on the ground like an over-ripe watermelon. The terrors returned. Sesshomaru thrashed and wailed. By the time he was woken up by a terrified Kagome, the sun was shining through the drawn curtains. Kagome opened her mouth. 'Not now.' He prayed. 'Not now, when the wound is bloody and raw.' But she did not oblige him.

"Who was Sakura." Kagome asked gently, the way one would talk to a frightened animal or a small child.

"Sakura...Sakura was my sister." That short answer conveyed more sadness than Kagome could have experienced in nearly nineteen years of life. Sesshomaru turned away and stumbled to his futon, rubbing a crick in his neck, feeling the ache of cramped muscles forced to endure long durations in an uncomfortable position. He drew the covers over his head, and remembered.

Sakura had been the perfect sister; she had achieved the right balance of independence and interference. Because this was so, most of the times she offered a suggestion, Sesshomaru would listen carefully. If he found a loophole, he would debate the point, and more often than not she would have a good defense constructed to counter his anticipated point.

When he had needed company, she had provided it; Sesshomaru had possessed few friends in his younger years. Most that tried to befriend the young scion of the Western Lands were driven away by his cold stares and calculating glances. They were unused to a child that thought logically. Ah, they murmured, it would have been so much easier if he had been a simpleton.

But when he was with Sakura, such things didn't exist. She was his solace. She was the one who he turned to when things went wrong. She was the one he turned to when he needed advice. She was the one he boasted to when he did something well. With their mother long gone, she was the closest thing to parent that he had.

Servants were useful, but one did not feel love for a servant. The servant was quiet and unobtrusive. It did not intrude for fear of retribution. Sakura was...herself. Nothing could compare. And so they continued with their happy existence...and he meant "happy" in the loosest of ways.

Their father trained Sesshomaru every day, drilling and sparring. Of course, Inutaisho's idea of training was teaching Sesshomaru the rudimentary skills, and then beating him nearly to death to pound them into him. It was a bitter irony; the cruel "sessions" had saved his live more than a few times, but they had endangered his life far more. Yes, he was a demon, and could heal minor wounds in seconds, but four broken ribs, a shattered wrist, a fractured knee, two crushed toes and numerous slices and bruises took time and strength to heal. And he had not had strength to spare. So he had continued going to his "lessons" half-healed, making more mistakes than usual and becoming more seriously wounded. Then he would go to the next lesson in even worse shape. It was a vicious cycle, one that was doomed to kill him. Until Sakura interceded on his behalf. Inutaisho meant well, but killing his heir would not benefit anyone, she pleaded. Let the lessons take place three times a week, and let them be less harsh and more instructive. Inutaisho had reluctantly agreed. And the real happiness had ensued...or as close to happiness as Sesshomaru had ever gotten.

But then _she_ had come. The witch that had snagged his father. Yes, he could admit to himself now that she had possessed her share of charms; she was beautiful for a human and aware of it. She was not a half-bad conversationalist, and she was cunning. She used her looks, her wits, her looks, and her charm to create an undeniable image. And his father had not denied her. He had mated with the bitch and gotten her pregnant. Oh, he could have learned to like her. She was kind, and treated him well. She wanted to be liked; wanted to make friends. Too bad she was a human. Her kind wasn't well-liked at the palace.

Indeed, he had started liking her, even admiring her, until she did IT. IT had been the breaking point, the flame beneath the donkey's ass. IT had nearly driven him to murder. IT had nearly driven him insane. The idiotic human—the Bitch, as he now referred to her—had gotten his sister married off. His sister had tried to protest; the demon was at least five centuries older than she, and she didn't like him. Not one bit. He had never acted kindly to her, she held, only appreciating her curves and not the woman behind. He didn't want a woman who could _think_! She exclaimed. He wanted a pretty buffoon to whelp his children, not a mate that would question his decisions and frequently show him up. And his sister, the one who had the biggest stake at hand, who had almost never been wrong—his sister was ignored.

Her protests were discarded as childish and flimsy; after merely a century of life, Sakura was still regarded as an adolescent that didn't know her own mind. And so the talks started, the treaties negotiated. As a minor lord, the demon would bring little to the West aside from alliances, of which he had in abundance. He was allied to the East and South, important alliances for the West. Any allies to him would transfer to the West should need arise; an interesting proposition. And the baron gained standing and lands, as well as a chance at the princedom if Sesshomaru himself proved to be too weak or stupid to rule.

So the talks had adjourned, and the dowry settled. All that was left was the actual ceremony. There was little Sakura could do, aside from running away, and even then, she had nowhere to run. She had never been out of the royal palace, never been without maids and clean clothes and food and water, never felt the pain of wounds, the stab of starvation. So she obeyed her father and went through with the plans.

The ceremony was private, the celebration small; a further insult to Sakura. Her trembling smile and tear-filled eyes tore at Sesshomaru's heart. He wanted to run forward, to snatch her away, and escape. Where, he did not know. But he could not. She wouldn't have wanted him to.

After the wedding, when the bride was allowed time to bid her family farewell, she came to him. She knelt at his feet, arms reaching up to his shoulders. "They took away everything that I was, stripped me away until I was nothing. They could do that to me. Don't let them do it to you." The whisper was ragged in her throat, tears brimming in her golden eyes. "Remain your own person, no matter what. Promise me." He nodded once, and a single tear dripped down his face, landing on hers. She wiped it away and sighed. "I must give my regards to Father." She said tonelessly. She looked at him one last time, squeezed his hand one last time, and left.

Sesshomaru wondered that she could still call him Father, the one that had done this to her. He never would.

And so, when he was fifteen, she twenty, brother and sister were parted. Forever.

Every week, every day spent without her pained him. Her presence lingered throughout the whole palace. It _hurt_! Every time he passed one of the haunts she had frequented, the memories burst out of his iron control. Memories of sunshine and smiles, laughter and joy. Every memory was unique, and he could not hold it all in. Sesshomaru vowed that he would rescue her. If only she would hold out long enough for the Inu no Taisho to die, Sessho could help her. Matings were permanent. Only a taiyoukai could free someone from a mating. "Until he dies, until he dies," became a mantra, a motto. As it was, the Inu no Taisho's death a few years later was far too early, left too many responsibilities on the young heir, as Sesshomaru had learned. But for Sakura it was already too late. A scant year had passed before it reached him. The Letter.

Sesshomaru had eagerly opened it, wanting to hear of his sister. He had passed few correspondences to her; it was too much of a reminder that he was missing something. But when he glimpsed the first few lines, his happiness melted away. It read:

Dear Sess,

I do not have much time, so I shall make

this short. The brute was as bad as I feared, if not

worse. I have his brat within me now, and I

cannot bear it any longer. By the time you receive

this, if nothing unexpected happens, I will be

dead. I love you, little brother. I hope that my death

will not give you too much pain. Do not worry

about me; any place would be better than this.

Your loving sister,

Sakura

The pain she had mentioned struck then. He had shoved it into the back of his mind, determined to stop her. He ran as fast as he could, but it was not fast enough. By the time he reached the lord's keep, she was dead. He had missed the graphic scene by minutes. She had climbed to the highest tower, and thrown herself off. To make doubly sure she would not have time to regenerate, she had swallowed a fast-acting poison before she had learned to fly. She had splattered onto the ground, about half of her body still intact. When he had lifted the wrist, he had discovered thick bands of scar tissue. Apparently this hadn't been her first attempt at suicide. He had let the hand drop dispassionately, silently speeding away. When he felt that he was a sufficient distance from her, he held up her letter that he had brought along. And he cried. Cried like he'd never cried before. He cried so much that even the few of his tears that had landed on the paper had flooded it, making the ink run and smear. The letter lived on in his memory, but even that was enough.

He had raced back and informed his father with cruel pleasure, that his daughter had committed suicide, and all his alliances were lost. Then he requested permission to make arrangements for her to be buried in the family cemetery. But what his father said had put an end to that.

"Family cemetery? No daughter of mine commits suicide." So it had been decided. His sister, his perfect sister, had come to such a sad end. Loved in life, she was disowned and hated after her death. Sesshomaru made discreet arrangements to have her buried in her favorite place to be, a small garden that she kept herself. The garden was still there, still thriving, tended by Sesshomaru himself. And an over-grown, unobtrusive gravestone occupied a corner, next to a small channeled stream, under the tree she had always read under. It held no titles, no exaggerations. It only read the marks for "Sakura" and "love." There was a dove etched underneath the simple words.

This, was the Dance of Sakura

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So, how did you like it? Good? Make anyone cry? If any of y'all spot spelling mistakes, or the like, please let me know in reviews. Thank you to any and all of you who took the time out of your day to read this, and thank you especially to the ones who reviewed and gave me some feed-back. You are what's keeping me running.

Thank you to: greeneyedgrimkitty, bankotsu'chik, kags21, and airbender 656 for reviewing on chapter four. Green...kitty, your stories rock!

Yea, that's it...it's exactly seven pages…hope you enjoyed the ride.


	6. Kagome's Education

The Disappearing Well

By chair-chan

Posted: 12-31-06

Edited 8-12-07

Disclaimer: Inuyasha, not mine, everything else belongs to me.

Kagome's Education

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Sesshomaru looked up from his tea and considered the problem Kagome presented. In the week that had passed, she had been surprisingly pleasant and helpful. She had rarely talked back, being as meek and obedient as possible. He didn't know what had caused the change in her, but something had happened. Ever since he had mistaken her for Sakura, she had been sympathetic. At first this had annoyed him; he didn't need her pity. But then he had realized the usefulness of her weak human feelings. He could control her.

But he, strangely, had not wanted to do that. He now rarely caused trouble for her; her suffering no longer amused him. He sent her only on legitimate errands, and ordered his guards to complete the tasks which he deemed too strenuous for her. Not one question had slipped past her lips. He had appreciated that. But now that he didn't really need her, what could he do with her? Perhaps he would try to educate her.

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Kagome sighed. She was bored as she had never been before. A week on her best behavior, and what did she get? Of course, that wasn't why she had behaved. She had seen real pain in Sesshomaru's eyes that night. It was good to see that he wasn't really an ice prince. It was just a projected image. She'd figured that he'd need time to recover from his little reunion with his dead sister's memories.

She had been nice to him, and he had replied in kind. He hadn't sent her on unnecessary hunts for nonexistent items, he hadn't sent her down to the kitchens, and he had even allowed her more freedom. She had discovered that the stone doorway led to a large hotsprings; when she had asked him about it, he had told her that the whole palace had been built around it, centuries ago.

Of course, she was still in his service, but civility was better than nothing. Perhaps she could think of something interesting to do. She was considering asking him if he had any books when Sesshomaru spoke. "Kagome." He summoned her. "This is hiragana. And this," he quickly dipped a brush in ink, penning in two quick strokes. "Is the symbol for 'ra.' Now, you start from the top, flick upwards, and then lift up for the next stroke. You start out straight, and then curve back upwards." Kagome smiled at him and took the brush. She proceeded to write the whole alphabet in a quick and decisive hand. Sesshomaru stared at her.

"I can read, Sesshomaru." Kagome said gently. "I was taught at a very young age."

"Very well." Sesshomaru said. He would not have believed her, but she _had_ just demonstrated her knowledge. "Do you know katakana?" he questioned her. She nodded. "What about kanji?" he questioned, seriously doubting she would answer yes. But she just nodded again. "You know kanji?" he asked her in disbelief. "Do you know how many kanji characters exist."

"Yes." Was his quiet answer.

"Show me." He demanded.

"Sesshomaru..."she sighed.

"Sesshomaru-_sama_." He corrected.

"Sesshomaru-sama." She bowed her head in deference. "I was brought up in a community where knowledge of hundreds of characters is imperative for survival. I had reached a rather advanced level before I...was forced to stop my education."

"A woman with an education?" Sesshomaru scoffed. "Our noblemen are far too insecure to educate their women."

"Nevertheless, I know how to write." Sesshomaru raised one silvery eyebrow, and she grunted. "Look." She frowned at him. She wrote the symbols for 'Kagome Higurashi.' Sesshomaru still looked skeptical. She sighed and wrote any-and-everything she could think of. Finally, she ran out of ink. She stopped and glared at him.

"Are you satisfied of my knowledge _now_, Sesshomaru-_sama_?" she said the last acidly, turning his title into an insult. He looked at her for a second, and then nodded.

"Can you defend yourself from an attack?" he asked her.

"I took sword-fighting lessons since I was six. When I turned fifteen...circumstances prevented me from continuing with my instructions...and I have forgotten most of what I had learned." Kagome sighed. "Pity. I used to be a passable swordsman." Sesshomaru impulsively stood up, setting his tea down and hauling Kagome back up with him.

"Let us see what you remember." Sesshomaru said. Kagome looked hesitant, but he gave her no choice, closing his grip on her elbow and dragging her down the long hallways to the dojo. Kagome gasped when she entered. Oh, there wasn't anything special about it; it was just a room with tatami mats on the floor. What made it special was the size of the room, and the wall lined with mirrors. The long wall, running all the way down the dojo, was filled with humongous mirrors. She jogged up to the mirrors and smiled. It was the first time she clearly saw herself in months. She looked okay; her hair was getting rather long, and she looked pale, but other than that, she was fine.

Sesshomaru walked to a small door and opened it. He led her into what appeared to be the armory. More weapons than Kagome had seen in her life were all organized neatly in little bins. Sesshomaru rummaged around, finally finding a katana she might be interested in. When he handed it to her, Kagome swung, once, twice.

"Off balance." She said and tossed it back to him. Sesshomaru put the katana back, pleased that she had caught him. He finally settled on one small blade, and three daggers. When he returned to her with these, Kagome gasped. She snatched the blade away from him and admired it. She turned it, making the blade shine silver-blue where it caught the light. She examined the ripples and nodded. The finest steel, and knowing Sesshomaru, razor sharp. Kagome stepped away and took an experimental slash.

The beauty of the blade in motion was incomparable. It flowed like water, and was lighter than she had expected. Although, after years of neglect, her skills were still rusty. Now she felt the weight of the slim katana, and it dragged down on her arm muscles. Fighting the pain, Kagome brought the sword up, holding it horizontally. She gritted her teeth, holding it a moment longer, before letting her arm fall, panting. Sesshomaru watched, impressed that she had even held it this long. He knew from experience how hard it was to master a sword.

Kagome studied the binding on the hilt, stroking the soft leather. As she looked closer, she saw a blue jewel had been set in the pommel of the sword. She looked at the flawless stone and admired the overall effect once again, sheathing the sword and setting it aside. Next she studied three foreign objects.

She decided that the two obvious ones were tanto (daggers). She unsheathed them, not knowing what to expect. The hilts were black and the only adornment was a small blue stone in their pommels; the sheaths were also plain. What caught her eye was that near the hilt of each one, a tiny kanji symbol was etched. She studied the shimmering blades until she could discern the meaning. One meant Truth, the other, Justice.

"Those are their names." Sesshomaru volunteered. "They, and the sword, are a matched trio. The sword is named Vigilance." Kagome noticed the similarities between the tanto and the katana. Kagome scrutinized the last item, not understanding what it could be. It looked like a fan, but when Kagome tried to snap it open, it would not budge. Finally, she looked to Sesshomaru in frustration.

He smirked and walked over. When he reached her, he gripped the bottom of the fan...and pulled. Out came the last tanto. Kagome gasped. "Perfect for self-defense when it is least expected. No one expects a lady to carry a knife...but everybody expects a lady to carry a fan." Kagome smiled and nodded her thanks.

Kagome then studied, and accepted the daito bokken. It was a work of art, made of a violet wood Kagome recognized as a prized type of wood, purpleheart. It was extremely expensive, and foreign. She had no idea how Sesshomaru had gotten his hands on this, but it was beautiful. She overlooked the three tanto bokken, but as she knew nothing about daggers, she was forced to take these, as well. They were made out of white oak, and were also very nice.

What came next, though, she was not ready for. Sesshomaru had presented her with yet another foreign object. It looked like a regular, katana-sized bokken, yet it weighed a ton! Kagome glanced inquisitively back in Sesshomaru's direction. He snorted.

"This is a suburito. It is a weighted bokken. It will help you gain muscles and force you to get used to fighting heavier and stronger opponents. You will use this only in your daily katas, and for suburi (sword-swinging). For now, though, as I see you cannot even lift it, you will practice lifting it every day until you can go through a whole kata with it." Kagome groaned.

"_More_ work?" she whined. When Sesshomaru glared at her thunderously, she shut her mouth.

"This could mean the difference between life and death, human. Do not let your impulses cloud your judgment." Kagome sighed and looked down.

"You're right." She admitted. Sesshomaru felt his respect for her grow yet again. She was resigning herself to painful training rather cheerfully. And, without a fuss, she had admitted that she was wrong. Sesshomaru knew he couldn't have done that had he been in her position. He would've likely huffed away and sulked for the rest of the day. Luckily for him, he hadn't been given a choice. It was either train and be beaten nearly to death, or not train, and really get beaten to death. He sighed. Inutaisho had been a crappy father, he admitted to himself. He had lived—barely—but he was still here. He surfaced to the world finding Kagome staring at him.

He stared back at her, and waited for her to look away. But instead, he found himself glancing to the floor, away from her piercing eyes. This angered him for some reason, and he turned on his heel, sweeping past her. "Come." He gestured curtly, and left it up to Kagome to transport the weapons to the dojo. She could figure out how to haul all of her stuff out at the same time.

Kagome emerging from his armory was a comical sight. She was carrying all the weapons, and the practice weapons, juggling them to manage. The only weapon Sesshomaru did not see was the suburito. Sesshomaru headed over to help her, but, just then, Kagome dropped a dagger. When she bent to pick up the dagger, her katana slid out of its sheath and clattered onto the ground. When she tried to re-sheath the deadly-sharp blade, the same dagger fell again. Sesshomaru decided that it would be much more amusing to watch as she left a trail of weapons behind her. Finally, Kagome dumped all of the implements of death she was still carrying at Sesshomaru's feet. Then she doubled back and picked up all of the weapons she had dropped, tossing them in Sesshomaru's general direction.

Sesshomaru watched her head back to the armory, knowing she was headed back to get the suburito. When he heard a grating noise, Sesshomaru smirked. "Kagome," he called, "I _forbid_ you to drag so fine a bokken on the ground. Carry it like it deserves." He watched her attempt to carry the heavy sword, wanting to chuckle. But he did not. Instead, he slipped on his façade, the deadpan expression hiding his true mirth. Kagome glared at him, and let out a deep breath, whooshing the air out.

"Now what?" she asked, defeated.

"Do you remember your katas?" he asked her.

"Somewhat," Kagome replied. "Not enough to do them, though."

"Then I shall lead you through the first kata I ever learned." Sesshomaru told her. He demonstrated it first, and when he finished, Kagome applauded. He showed her the first poses, and waited for her to get them right using the regular, unweighted bokken. Soon she slipped into her old sword-habits. She was still a long way from proficient, but Sesshomaru could see the improvement. He could feel her recalling the right ways to do this slash and that, to thrust and, most importantly, to quickly unsheathe a weapon. He was happy; all this only made his job easier.

Next, Sesshomaru handed her the first tanto bokken. He showed her where to place it in her obi so that she could draw it, and its twin, with minimal difficulty. He showed her several slashes and stabs, and made her practice those with relentless repetition, right hand _and_ left. That way, if your right hand became incapacitated, you could still defend yourself with your left. After this grueling exercise, Sesshomaru picked up the suburito and hefted it. Not today. He decided. If he made her use this today, her arms would be as weak as over-cooked noodles. Sesshomaru pushed her in the direction of the hot springs, promising to take care of her weapons for her.

Sesshomaru put her collection of weapons back in his armory in a bin he labeled 'Kagome.' Then he drew his own swords, and completed his own exercises. An hour later, Sesshomaru returned to his chambers, dripping sweat and quite pleased with his workout. He knocked on the door of the hot springs, and entered. He then locked the door, and submerged, relaxing. He had felt quite out of character today; too generous. He shook his head, blaming it on boredom.

He hadn't had much to do, so he had taken an interest in the girl. He still didn't know much about her, and he intended to find out. He also intended to get her properly outfitted for future training sessions. Perhaps tomorrow he would travel to his storerooms and see what he had for someone her size. Thoughts done, he sank down into the water, all the way up to his nose. He stayed like that for a while, enjoying the heat. Then he began the long task of washing his hair.

Sesshomaru rummaged around for his favorite hair-wash; there was always some if it available. The servants knew his preferences; it was their job to know. He finally found it, and poured some of the goop into his hand, working it into his hair. He lathered and rinsed twice before completely sinking below the water. After a few minutes, he re-surfaced, seeking oxygen. Sesshomaru lingered several moments longer, then slipped out and toweled off. He donned a bath-robe, and unlocked the door to his room, walking through the entrance-way. He grabbed his sleeping clothes, and was about to change, when he remembered that his maid might still be in the room. Sesshomaru looked around, and there she was. Sure enough, Kagome was sitting at the window sill, about to say something. Not giving her the chance, Sesshomaru whirled around and swept out of the room, back into the hotsprings.

He quickly changed, and dumped his day-clothes in the dirty pile. 'Having a maid is a pain.' Sesshomaru realized. Indeed, he was only touching the tip of the iceberg.

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How'd y'all like it? For me, it was a rather boring chapter to write...If anybody has problems with the terminology, search _katana_ on Wikipedia...or just on Google. All of the other weapons show up as linked. Please forgive all spelling errors. Within a few days they will be all gone (I shall edit, but it's too late to do it now, and I want to get this chapter up), but please tell me about anything you readers spot.

Anyways...have a good new year! I wish you all luck on your resolutions...I haven't made one...:( didn't have time to think of one. Have fun at all your new years parties, those of you that are going.

Think of this as my new year's gift to you guys; I was going to wait till tomorrow to finish this chapter, but I decided that I had to get it done today, instead of reading a fanfiction that I really wanted to read by elvenarcher516...so yea... okay, that's it!


	7. A Long, Long Journey

The Disappearing Well

By chair-chan

Posted: 1-25-07…reposted 2-3-07…I think

Edited 8-12-07

Disclaimer: not mine, not mine, not mine ...

A Long, Long Journey.

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Sesshomaru was in his dojo, training, when the messenger arrived. Irked at being interrupted, Sesshomaru stopped his kata completely and turned the full intensity of his eyes to the messenger. He was a wolf-youkai, a breed known for speed and endurance. His clothes sported the colors of the North: dark, regal green, and intense gold.

The messenger bowed his head, rather intimidated, and held out his hands. Suddenly, a scroll appeared. Sesshomaru glanced at the messenger disdainfully, and plucked the paper from his hands, trying to maintain minimal contact. He unrolled the scroll, and read. It must be rather important to merit a wolf carrier.

_Dear Lord Sesshomaru,_

_I extend my regards to the West. I hope that all is well, and that all of your affairs are in order. I am sure that you have not forgotten that I will be hosting the annual meeting of all the taiyoukai. The date has changed from tomorrow to a week from tomorrow. Feel free to provide your own entourage, but if you do not, servants will be provided. You shall be housed in the main palace, the servants in the outer wings. Animals will be kept in the royal stables or kennels. If you have any special requests, please send them with the messenger. If not, I bid you good day._

_Lord Satoshi and Lady Aya_

Sesshomaru growled and re-rolled the rice-paper. As a matter of fact, he _had_ forgotten. He sighed, and dismissed the messenger with a look. Then he strode out of the dojo, not even bothering to put his weapons away. If he was to plan a journey for several servants, along with his baggage and Kagome, he would have to start planning now. The date on the letter indicated the day before yesterday. As such, he really had only one day to prepare before setting out. He sighed and rubbed his temples.

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Sesshomaru slipped a brush through his silky hair. It was all done. The preparations were finished. A small army of servants was standing by, awaiting his every command. Now the only thing that needed to be done was to tell Kagome. She would be his secretary during the meetings, taking down notes to his satisfaction. As such, he had already commissioned a wardrobe for her. It was a rather plain batch of uniforms; white bottom, white top, both dotted with his crest embroidered in red thread. It would be ready that evening, and packed before they set out the next morning.

Sesshomaru set down the brush, and rose, gliding into his room where Kagome was _supposed_ to be standing in attendance, waiting for him. Instead, she was laying on her side, snoring on her futon. Sesshomaru smirked and prodded her with his toe. She muttered something and rolled over. He poked her again. She swatted at his foot, much to his amusement.

"Not now, Buyo..." she murmured grumpily. A small smile came to his lips as he reached down and grabbed her shirt. He picked her up effortlessly, and shook her. "Buyo!!!" Kagome screeched. "You've grown...or maybe I've shrunk!" she scrunched her eyes closed, clamped her hands down on her ears, and shook her head violently. "Put me down! Don't eat me! I wouldn't taste good...IAMS are so much better..."

"Is everything all right, sir?" a guard came to the door, drawn by the screeches.

"Fine." Sesshomaru nodded at him. At the new voices, Kagome paused and opened her eyes. As she was set down, her eyes widened to epic proportions and she gasped.

"S-Sesshomaru..." she stuttered, trailing off weakly. Sesshomaru looked to see that the guard was gone, and let a smile creep onto his lips. Kagome gasped and flinched, sure that someone would come to a speedy demise. Sesshomaru quickly blanked his features, and somewhat backed away.

"Who is Buyo?" He asked.

"Erm...Buyo is my cat."

"Your _cat?!_" Sesshomaru looked vaguely scandalized. "You thought _I_ was your _cat?!_"

"Well...yes. But what's so bad about that, anyways? _You're_ the one who woke me up!"

"Only to tell you something important." Sesshomaru defended, later realizing that he didn't need to defend his actions to his own maid. "I am going to the annual taiyoukai meeting." Kagome gave a sigh of relief. "But before you think that you're off the hook, you are coming with me, not only as my maid, but as my secretary." Kagome's sigh soon evaporated into a look of horror. Which brought the look of amusement back to Sesshomaru's features.

"Y-your _secretary_?!" she screeched again.

"Must I repeat myself?" Sesshomaru asked acerbically. Kagome squeaked and dove back under her covers. As Sesshomaru gaped, she proceeded to cocoon herself in the blankets. Finally she muttered something unintelligible, even to his sensitive ears, and settled down. Sesshomaru sighed, and continued. "You will follow me everywhere I go, taking notes to my satisfaction. Be ready at five o'clock tomorrow morning."

"What makes you think that I want to come with you?" Kagome asked rather insolently, deciding to try her luck.

"Did I ask for your opinion?" Sesshomaru asked. "No, I don't think I did. You _will_ be ready to leave at five o'clock sharp, or I shall drag you by the hair, and you won't have time to dress, bathe, or even eat." Kagome gave a snort.

"And what exactly will I be wearing?" she asked him sarcastically.

"A uniform has been made up for you." Sesshomaru answered her. "No need to fret, I have thought of everything." He said sarcastically. "And to spare me the added expense of a horse or carriage, you will walk the whole way, at my side."

"Sesshomaru," Kagome started, exasperated, "what makes you think a human can keep up with a demon lord?" Sesshomaru had an 'oh, shit,' moment, before he realized the solution.

"When you tire, you shall ride on the baggage carts." As Kagome opened her mouth to protest, Sesshomaru glared at her. "What right do you have to make inquiries of me?" he asked. "Last time I checked, you were still my maid, not the other way around. We are going, and that is that." Kagome sighed, and bowed her head submissively.

"Yes milord." She whispered. Sesshomaru stalked out of her room, and Kagome spent the remainder of her evening packing all of the little necessities; hair-brushes, her favorite obi, etc.

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The first thing Kagome thought when she woke up was "oh, crap." There was a hand twined in her hair, and she was being hauled roughly up. "I take it I overslept, then?" she queried cheerfully, or as cheerfully as one could get when dangling a foot off the ground, facing a very displeased taiyoukai. Sesshomaru dropped her, and got her shoes. He pushed a pair of socks, a pair of specially-made boots at her, and stared at the girl.

After all, he was not so cruel as to make her walk the whole distance of his lands without any kind of foot-gear. But he was going to make her walk, at least today, in her pajamas, and with her hair mussed. Sesshomaru tossed at her the peculiar garment she had called a "bra" and then turned around. With that on her body, he grabbed her wrist in one hand, her bag in the other, and dragged her down the hall.

Finally, they reached the entourage. As Sesshomaru set off, several servants followed him, and a baggage cart. Sesshomaru frog-marched Kagome in front of him; he was not going to afford her the luxury of falling asleep in the cart, although that in itself might be more a curse than a blessing. The road was very bumpy, and every time one thought they were asleep, another bump woke them up. As morning wore into noon, Sesshomaru let her free to do what she pleased; she crawled onto the cart, presumably to catch some sleep. Later the day, she emerged again, red-faced and bedraggled. She stopped at the crossroads to drink from the bowl renewed every day by the villagers; an offering for weary travelers. Sesshomaru smiled at her appearance.

As afternoon melted into evening, still Sesshomaru marched on. He had noticed that Kagome had been clutching her belly, but he had smelled no illness on her. He would call a halt soon. At that very moment, he heard a sigh, and a loud thump in front of him. He held a hand up to stop everybody. As he went forward to investigate, he found Kagome slumped on the ground, her limbs strewn haphazardly, and her head tilting downwards. Kagome had fainted.

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A/N: ahhh...I am really sorry about the late update and the short chapter...you got no idea how much shit I'm going through. Ah, loyal, faithful readers...not only is it finals week (and I'm studying my ass off in a subject that I hate...yea…algebra 2 does that to you), but my drama class is totally unprepared for a play that opens the day after finals...a week from tomorrow!!! SHIT!! Yea, that is pretty much what I'm going through, on top of other homework…not to mention that I _**hate math**_! (and, I suck at it) I got exactly an 80, and I'm studying so hard for it to stay that way…wish me luck..

And thank you, to all the lovely reviewers of chapter five I forgot to thank in chapter six:

**marufan, dark drawin, Kags21, redrabbit50, Lindsay-chan, and kannasoul09**

and thank you, so much, for the reviewers of chapter six,

**Kags21, marufan, Lindsay-chan, mangadreams, daiyoukai, smiling.sister, and S.T.Nickolian**

You all motivate me to keep writing...and thank you, for bearing with me in my long period of inactiveness.


	8. Fainting Girls and Conversations

The Disappearing Well

By chair-chan

Posted: 2-12-07

Fainting Girls and Conversations

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Sesshomaru groaned and scooped her up in one arm. "Halt!" he yelled. His servants immediately started unpacking his bags, pitching up his tent on the side of the road and putting his belongings into it. Sesshomaru stared down at the pale face of his maid. He wondered what had happened to her. He thought back to that morning when he'd dragged her out of her futon. She hadn't had time to really get ready; no bath, no combing of her hair, no breakfast...he stopped. Shit. She was a human. She needed to eat. He sighed, and put her down on the floor. On second thought, he lifted her again, and plunked her down in a pile of pillows and bedding.

He did respect the little woman's endurance. Why hadn't she complained? Only she knew. He would have probably brushed her off, anyways. Now that he noticed it, she rarely complained. She would grumble about his orders, perhaps make a face at him, and then rush off to do them. His respect for her grew another notch. Hmm...she was perhaps the only being currently living that had earned his respect to this degree. That was pathetic.

Sesshomaru swept his beautiful silver hair behind one pointed ear and continued with his train of thought. As a taiyoukai, he didn't really _need_ to eat; he liked to, but it wasn't necessary to his well-being...humans, though, were another subject altogether. If they, on the other hand, did not eat...well, look what had just happened to Kagome. Silly girl never did know when to stop. He would have to talk to her about that.

Sesshomaru had just assumed that she would find something in the way of berries along the road...he had assumed. Assumed being key word. Sesshomaru felt like slapping himself on the forehead. If there was one thing he had learned in his long lifetime, it was that he should never assume anything.

Sesshomaru stood up and poked his head out of his tent. "Prepare something for the girl to eat when she wakes." He commanded. Servants scurried to do his bidding. Before long, he smelled meat cooking and rice boiling, along with several spices. Within minutes, he was served a cup of his favorite tea. After drinking it down, Sesshomaru sat down for a long night's vigil.

Kagome yawned, and clutched at her stomach. She glanced around, and found Sesshomaru comfortably nestled in a cocoon of blankets. As soon as her gaze fell upon him, Sesshomaru's golden eyes snapped open and focused on her. He pushed a tray towards her. It was piled high with bowls of meat and rice. Chopsticks protruded from the pile. Kagome snatched it up from the floor and began eating...rather, inhaling.

"Why do you have such terrible survival instincts?" Sesshomaru wanted to know. Kagome stared at him for a second, shrugged, and continued stuffing her face. "Kagome..." he warned. She turned to look at him as she swallowed the last morsel from the procession of bowls.

"Well, where I'm from, food is grown for consumption, and any meat animals are raised and slaughtered in great quantities, arriving at your table neatly packaged. Most humans don't really know how to find food in the wilderness...heck, there isn't much wilderness left." Sesshomaru stared at her quizzically.

"Where do you come from?" he asked her. Kagome sighed in longing.

"Far, far away. Somewhere over the rainbow, you could say." Sesshomaru continued staring at her. "Sesshomaru...please...I just can't tell you."

"Why."

"I can't tell you why I can't tell you." She sighed. "It's a secret." He smelled fear on her. Good. Let her live in fear. Then he grimaced. He had come to tolerate her; she deserved better.

"Alright." He nodded. "Describe it to me." Kagome sighed in relief and began.

"Well, there are really tall buildings...taller than the highest tower in all of Japan. There is heated water everywhere you go, and quick transportation systems..." At this point Sesshomaru interrupted her.

"If the buildings are so tall, why haven't I seen them?" Sesshomaru asked. Kagome just looked at him with her large blue eyes and remained silent. "Are there many more like you in this village of yours?" he persisted. Kagome lit on the more innocuous subject.

"Humans, you mean?" Sesshomaru gave her a look that said it all: he thought that she was an idiot.

"Women or men with spiritual powers." He looked at her, surprised when she started laughing.

"No! Where I come from, anybody claiming to have spiritual powers is locked up in a nice cell with padded walls."

"Do padded walls deflect spiritual energies?" Sesshomaru wanted to know. This could come in useful. It was Kagome's turn to stare at him with the 'you idiot' look.

"Sesshomaru...in my ti...in my town, people making public demonstrations of their 'spiritual energies' are often regarded as insane." Kagome remembered the man that had thought he could fly. It turned out that he couldn't. It hadn't mattered to him any longer, though. He was dead.

"Why?" It was that pesky word again.

"I don't know." Kagome sighed. She seemed to be sighing a lot lately. "I guess it's just our culture."

"Kagome, do you know what happens to liars who practice their craft on me?" Kagome sighed.

"Sesshomaru, I'm not lying to you. The crackpots usually get chucked into a loony bin, or revered by their separate religious communities as reincarnations of various gods." Sesshomaru stared at her for what seemed like a long time, then nodded and turned away. Kagome noticed that for the first time, it was very dark outside. She shivered and crept a little closer to Sesshomaru. He in turn glared at her and inched slightly away. This continued for several minutes, until Kagome couldn't handle if anymore. "Sesshomaru, damn you, stay in one spot!!!!" she screamed.

Sesshomaru just stared at her. "Ok, ok. I'm afraid of the dark." Kagome admitted. Sesshomaru got this sort of 'why me,' look on his face, and walked out of the tent. Kagome freaked out, deciding that she had scared Sesshomaru away. Then she got even more freaked out, remembering that she was alone in a tent in the dark in the middle of nowhere. She was about to yell for help when Sesshomaru reappeared, holding a lamp. He set it on the ground, far from any blankets, and settled down onto his nest.

"Better?" he asked, exasperated. Kagome nodded meekly and drifted off to sleep.

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"Kagome." Kagome was shaken awake. She glared at Sesshomaru for interrupting her sleep. "Kagome, you have half an hour to prepare yourself before we set out. There is a stream to the left of our tent. None will bother you." Kagome sighed, and buried herself back in her covers. She felt a boot prod her side. With another sigh, she rose and blearily made her way to the stream. She bathed as quickly as she could; the water was cold! Then she trudged back to the camp, accepting a bowl of soup. When she had finished her breakfast and set aside her dishes, a hand was shoved under her nose.

"Do you see these?" Sesshomaru asked.

"See what..." Kagome rubbed her eyes. Sesshomaru snorted.

"Do you see these berries?"

"Yes."

"They are safe to eat." Sesshomaru demonstrated. "We will stop at a village for lunch. Dinner, we will eat at the palace. Between those meals, if you get hungry, pick some of these. There will doubtless be bushes growing alongside the road. Then we won't have a repeat of last night. Understood?"

"Yes." Kagome yawned, and fell back into the grass. Sesshomaru took one look at her, and began walking.

"Kagome.." He began, "we are leaving." Kagome smiled.

"I know." She said, eyes closed.

"I am not averse to leaving you behind." Sesshomaru pointed out. Kagome opened one eye.

"You wouldn't." She stated.

"Watch me." Sesshomaru turned his back on Kagome and began walking away.

"Hey!" Kagome yelled. "Wait up!" She jumped to her feet and raced after Sesshomaru, finally catching up to him. She caught her breath with her fist tugging on the back of Sesshomaru's shirt. "Don't walk so fast!" she exclaimed.

"I was only trying to prove a point." Sesshomaru said. Kagome glared at him, and turned her nose up.

"Hmph." She flipped her ponytail cutely and marched away. Sesshomaru nearly stopped cold. He had just thought something about Kagome was _cute._ He groaned, and tried to put her from his mind.

'_Hey, now, don't feel guilty. She is quite pretty._' Sesshomaru hit himself on the forehead.

'Not now.' He thought at his annoying half.

'_If not now, then when? Carpe Diem! Seize the day!_' half the time, Sesshomaru didn't understand what his youkai was saying. This was one of those times. '_So, what was that lovely display of childishness for?_'

'What childishness?' Sesshomaru asked, a little curious, despite himself.

'_Oh, you know, that whole bit, I'll leave you behind, just watch me go. That childishness._'

'That was not childishness!' Sesshomaru would have glared if it were possible, incensed.

'_Then what was it, pray tell. Flirting? I am sure that you would never admit to that._'

'I was **not** flirting.' Sesshomaru declared.

'_There you go. See. You are in such self-denial. So how is it in Denial-Ville? 14,000 feet, population, you_.' Sesshomaru had noticed that his youkai talked much like Kagome.

'I was **not** flirting.' Sesshomaru insisted.

'_Sure. I can see that there is no getting through_ your _hard head, so I shall take my leave. I bid you good day._'

Around midday, the small group stopped at a human village. Sesshomaru, wrinkling his nose, demanded that the elder attend to him. Then he entered a lady's home, and lounged at her table until the annoyed looking elder came. "Feed my charge." Was all Sesshomaru said, pointing at Kagome. The elder, recognizing Sesshomaru, hurried to do his bidding. But as soon as the elder left, Kagome exploded.

"Sesshomaru!" she yelled. "Can you get any ruder?!" Sesshomaru stared at his maid as she proceeded to scold him. "First off, you do _not_ force an elder to attend to you! You ask if you may be granted audience with the elder. You go to him or her. You wait to be admitted, and state your request. You certainly do not order anyone to feed me, and you _certainly_ do not walk into a woman's house without permission, seeking a place to sit!" Then, huffing, Kagome sat down and leveled a death-glare at Sesshomaru. "I hope you've learned something today."

"Human, you are not my mother."

'_Ah, so we're back to "human" now, are we. Don't want to get attached, is that it?_'

"As ruler of these lands, I may do whatever I please. I may order that the woman who is now hosting us to be killed; I can take the elder as my servant and order her around. They know they are lucky that I am merciful."

"That is so wrong!" Kagome cried out, frustrated.

"Be that as it may, this is how our world works." Sesshomaru declared, and closed the discussion. Kagome received the food with quiet thanks, and ate in silence. She was so angry that she couldn't even finish her meal. She flounced off ahead of Sesshomaru, but only after thanking and apologizing to the elder and the woman whose house Sesshomaru had commandeered. As Kagome walked, glancing back every so often to make sure she was headed in the right direction, she realized that she was hungry and thirsty. She looked around, locating a bush with berries. She picked a few, and kept on going. As she walked, she picked a few berries off of every bush that looked okay to her. Kagome ate these, and continued walking, hunger and thirst sated. As it became dark, Kagome felt queasy.

"I guess walking on a full stomach wasn't the smartest thing to do." Kagome thought aloud. She then began feeling dizzy. She sat down on the ground, noticing how far ahead she was. By the time Sesshomaru reached her, Kagome felt terrible. "Sesshomaru—" she rose. Then Kagome, an expendable human, threw up. On Sesshomaru. After which she proceeded to fall in a heap at his feet. Sesshomaru groaned. Not again.

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Hey! Sorry this took so long...finals, and my play, and...just everything, really. Anyways, yea...The real reason I keep coming back to this is not because of the inspiration, but because of the reviews. Every time I come to and read the reviews, they inspire me...I just wanna write another chapter for you guys. So your reviews really _do_ count. In the beginning I was discouraged, because not so many people were reviewing. 'It'll get better.' I thought. And it did! Something I dislike, though, is when people say, 'I won't update until I get this many reviews.' I hope I will never do it. If I do, slap me! Jk, hjk…anyhoo….:)

P.S.: our math teacher gave out 30 points of extra credit, so even though I got 62 out of 100 on my math final (a true F) I still got a B!!! o yea! Awesome!

Thank you for all of you lovely people out there that reviewed chapter seven, even though it was short. And I apologize in advance for all of my spelling/grammar mistakes.

_**Mangadreams, Winglessgoddess, **_

_**S.T.Nickolian, **_

_**Lindsay-chan, Marufan,**_

_**Kags21, **_

_**Mysterious Miko of Moonlight, **_

_**And, last but not least, **_

_**Deep Sea Love**_


	9. A Visit With the Doctor

The Disappearing Well

By: chair-chan

Posted: 3-5-07

Edited 8-12-07

Title: A Visit With The Doctor

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After that thought, Sesshomaru finally noticed that he had been regurgitated upon. His first instinct was to shriek, jump back, and shed all sullied garments. Which worried him, because if there was something Sesshomaru DID NOT DO, it is to shriek, jump back, and shed all sullied garments.

Sesshomaru's second instinct was to pull up the human at his feet and behead her. He fought that one down as well. He was going to torture and kill her slowly...he'd savor her pain. "HALT!" he yelled again. As his baggage reached him, he took the nearest bag and ran to the closest water supply he could sense. He quickly ripped off all of his clothes and jumped in, wishing he had thought to bring soap. Sesshomaru ignored the cold as he dumped his clothes into the water. He weighted them down with a heavy rock, and then emerged from the water.

He had been so freaked out that he hadn't bothered to check what was in the bag. As he opened it, he heard a distinct clink. Suddenly he dreaded looking inside. When he finally brought himself to peek in, he groaned and resisted the urge to throw the bag as far away from himself as possible. Instead of the expected clothing, the bag contained his favorite tea set.

Sesshomaru was forced to wear his wet clothes back to camp. Besides looking quite undignified, the clothes still smelled to his sensitive nose. They were also quite uncomfortable, and he was slightly cold. He added another mark against Kagome. How was it that a human girl had managed to cause him this much irritation and still stayed alive?

As soon as he got back to his tent, which had been pitched in his absence, he ordered a servant to bring him clean clothes, and to wash his current outfit. He donned the new clothes, and only then commanded that Kagome be brought inside. He found himself lighting a lamp, because he knew she was afraid of the dark. He shook his head, and blew the lamp out. _He_ could see perfectly well, and that was all that counted. He would wait out the night. It was no fun torturing somebody who wasn't conscious.

When Kagome hadn't woken up by morning, Sesshomaru knew that something was wrong. He inched near her, and sniffed, hard. Finally he smelled it. He berated himself for not noticing it before. He had been angry at her, therefore staying far away from the girl. Sesshomaru felt like slapping himself.

Kagome smelled of poison.

Sesshomaru's mind immediately started processing. What kind of poison could she have ingested? He reached a conclusion after a short while. He had shown her the edible berries when she had been half-asleep. She had probably unknowingly eaten berries that were poisonous, not to be a nuisance, obviously, but because _he_ had told her to. She had been trying to follow his orders.

Which meant that this was all his fault.

His anger at Kagome dissipated. He called out directions to his servants as he wrapped the shivering girl in several blankets, scooped her up in his one arm, and ran.

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Sesshomaru finally reached the village where they had stopped for lunch the day before. He scented out the elder, and forced his way inside. A surprised elder stared at him from a futon as he stalked into her hut.

"Does your village have a miko?" he demanded. The elder gaped at him. "Does your village have a miko, or not!" Sesshomaru repeated, realizing that he was almost yelling.

"To your left, three homes down." The elder finally managed. Sesshomaru swept out again, rushing down the road. Half of his mind questioned his urgency to save a girl that he had decided to torture the evening before. The other half of his mind pushed the question away. There would be a time to think things over. It was not now. Not now, when her life was in danger.

This time, Sesshomaru knocked on the doorfame; the door was made of a tatami mat. His politeness could mean Kagome's life. After a minute, a plain looking young woman in miko's robes came to the doorway. Quickly taking in the situation, she led Sesshomaru inside. She gestured to him to put Kagome down on a futon in the corner.

"What happened?" she finally asked.

"She ate poisoned berries last night." Sesshomaru answered briefly. The miko nodded.

"Did she throw up?" she asked. Sesshomaru nodded, remembering exactly how. "Then most of the poisons have left her. Her body will try to fight the remaining ones on its own. I must give her potions to help this take place...although I must say, if she has survived this far, she is doing rather well." The miko bustled around, getting leaves from this jar, some from another. She dumped the leaves in a mug obviously meant to be her morning cup of tea and brewed the concoction.

Finally, she was finished, and she walked over to Kagome. With one hand, she spooned some of the liquid through her lips, and with the other hand, plugged Kagome's nose. The young woman reflexively swallowed. When the entire potion was gone from the cup, the miko bustled about, doing her morning chores.

"Is there anything you require for her treatment?" Sesshomaru managed to grind out. His pride was sorely injured just with that small statement, but he had to ask. For Kagome.

"A bucket of water would be nice." The miko said. "I am called Emiko," she added as an afterthought. Sesshomaru found a bucket in the corner, and quickly snagged it. He sped to the village well, and filled the bucket to the rim. He ran back to the miko's house, this time not bothering to knock. The human nodded her thanks.

"There is business I must tend to." Sesshomaru stated. "Care for her. I shall be back in exactly one sun-up." Without waiting for her reply, he strolled out of the miko's abode, and returned back to his camp.

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Kagome awoke to a pounding in her head and a sick feeling in her stomach. She glanced around, slitting her eyes against the bright light streaming at her. Her surroundings were unfamiliar. She tried to rise, but found she couldn't. She expected Sesshomaru to appear at any moment, reassuring her in his roundabout and insulting way. But Sesshomaru wasn't there, which made her think about how dependent she had grown on him.

She wondered when he had turned so..._familiar_. She thought back. The turning point had been, really, when he had noticed the knife she had stashed away in hopes of taking her own life. Her plans of suicide had been brought to his attention, and something in him had snapped. Apparently something she had done had reminded him of his dead sister. He'd had a rather traumatic night, and after that, he had been much nicer to her, not sending her on stupid errands or commanding her to complete useless tasks.

As time wore on, he had become less...cruel. Well, at least deliberately cruel. Most of the time, he still pretended that he was his old, cold self, but something had changed. She now knew that he felt, emotions much stronger than any human could stomach. After all, he had been alive for centuries, even millennia. He had been bound to experience more than his share of heartbreak and betrayal during all those years. Someday he would tell her...but not any time soon. And she would not nag him. If there was something Sesshomaru despised, it was nagging. Kagome couldn't say how she knew this about him; she just did.

After all the bad things Kagome imagined Sesshomaru had experienced, she'd had no proof of any _good_ things happening to him. With a life like that, who _wouldn't_ wall themselves off and freeze up? It was a defense mechanism. All the same, she wondered why Sesshomaru had become the way he was. What had caused him so many traumas that he had formed a thick shell between the world and himself? Why would let none breach it?

What had made him so hard, so cruel? So heartless, so...

Un-empathetic. That was it. He didn't want to empathize with others. He_ couldn't_ empathize with others. So what had caused his unprecedented...nice-ness to her? Only Sesshomaru knew. But Kagome would someday find out.

All of these thoughts were knocked out of her mind when she heard footsteps. A figure appeared in an open doorway. It had a cool aura.

As the figure neared, Kagome could tell that it was a young woman, wearing the garbs of a miko. "Good." The woman said. "You are awake." Kagome gaped at the woman.

"Who are you, and where is Sesshomaru?" Kagome wanted to know.

"I am Emiko. Your...companion said there was business he had to tend to, and that he would be back this morning."

"What time is it?" Kagome groaned, rubbing her forehead, feeling a larger headache building. "What happened to me?"

"It is currently the early morning." Emiko replied. "You apparently ate poisoned berries. By the time you got to me, you were already half-healed. I would not recommend moving." She warned as Kagome tried getting up.

"I need to relieve myself." The pounding in Kagome's head intensified. Emiko came to assist her, pulling the girl up and walking her outside the hut to a little shanty built along its side.

"In there you will find a pit." Emiko said. There was no need to continue. Kagome pulled aside the cloth of a door and stepped in. A minute later she came out, and looked for a way to clean her hands. Emiko silently offered Kagome soap, a bucket of water (incidentally, the same bucket that Sesshomaru had filled), and a towel.

"You and Sesshomaru are quite a pair. Why is it that every time I meet someone, they either talk too much, or too little? Or they are so lecherous one would not wish to stand by them for a minute?" Kagome complained, half wanting an answer. Emiko only stared at her. "I'm Kagome, by the way." She added.

"You speak of him familiarly." Emiko stated, ignoring her addition to the conversation. "Have you been together long?"

"Not really." Kagome said. "I'm his maid."

"A maid does not talk like that of her master." Emiko persisted.

Kagome blushed at what Emiko was implying. "No, I'm pretty sure that Sesshomaru has no feelings for me. After all, I am just a lowly human."

"You have said that he would never have you, but what of your feelings." Emiko was getting a little nosy. She was delving deep into subjects Kagome desperately wished to avoid. Kagome wanted to quickly walk away, but she was too weak.

"Sesshomaru...Sesshomaru has made too many attempts on my life for me to ever think of him that way." Kagome said adamantly. Emiko gave her a doubtful look, but did not argue any longer. They made it inside to Emiko's pallet, where Kagome lay down with a sigh.

Finally she had a chance to scrutinize her host. Emiko, as she had said her name was, seemed young. Perhaps a little older than Kagome herself. In many ways she seemed mature, but in some she also seemed a tad childish. But she was a trained miko, almost always in control of any situation that would arise. She had glossy black hair, cut shoulder length, a plain face, a flat, wide-ish nose, and full lips. She was wearing standard miko garb, but in different colors. Kagome wondered whether colors symbolized villages, or... Kagome's train of thought crashed as she slowly lost consciousness and began snoring, her abused body demanding sleep.

Sesshomaru arrived in one sun, just as he had promised. Half-way toward midday he appeared, looking pristine and fresh in the morning glare. His hair swished behind him, the tips nearly brushing the ground. His sash waved in the wind his movement created, and his booted feet sent up small clouds of dust wherever they set down. Altogether, this was a very peaceful image. Completely out of place with the two swords strapped to his side, and the lethal-looking package he was toting.

As soon as Kagome sensed Sesshomaru, she resisted the urge to squeal and instead waited until he came into sight. When a dark figure pulled aside the tatami mat door and slipped inside, Kagome lifted one hand in a wave. Sesshomaru hunched over to fit his seven foot frame inside the hut, and nodded at her. With a wave of his hand, his fluff (for that was what Kagome had taken to calling it) twined around the package he had been carrying and gently set it down in front of Kagome.

Kagome undid the twine that kept the piece together, and pulled open the fabric wrapping. Inside she found her sword and her three daggers. Kagome smiled and reached up a hand. Sesshomaru grimaced and held out his matching appendage in a "you may kiss my hand" pose. Kagome's smile faded somewhat, but she took it. She was surprised when he neatly pulled her up, his muscles not even straining. '_I bet you wouldn't have winced if I was a demoness._' Kagome thought sadly. She didn't understand why Sesshomaru was so prejudiced against humans.

She bent down to pick up her sword, tucking it through her thin sash. The daggers would have to wait. Emiko suddenly appeared, seemingly out of thin air.

"Do you have any strips of fabric I could use?" Kagome asked Emiko. Emiko shook her head.

"Would a cord do?" She asked quietly. "I have plenty of those." Kagome got a huge smile on her face.

"It would. Thank you." Emiko disappeared and reappeared with a long piece of twine-ish looking string. Kagome folded it in half and looked pleadingly at Sesshomaru. He sighed and rolled his eyes, holding up a single claw and shearing the cord in half. Again Kagome's smile emerged, like the sun coming out after the clouds move along. She pressed a dagger sheath against the inside of her wrist, the pommel almost in the middle of her hand. For a moment Sesshomaru feared that she would draw the knife and try to cut herself, but she did nothing of the sort. Instead, she started winding the cord around the sheath. She tied it off and wiggled the dagger, making sure the sheath wouldn't come off of her wrist without major efforts. She did the same to her other wrist, finally satisfied with her efforts.

Kagome made sure she could easily draw her daggers, and then tucked her last, the one that resembled a fan, into her sash. She made a mental note to herself that when she was to wear her formal or everyday gear, she must wear enough metal accessories to mask the scent of her other, less benign metal companions. If that was even possible. She would have to ask Sesshomaru. Kagome was snapped out of her contemplations by Emiko. She realized that she had been staring at the ground for the past few minutes in a sort of daze. Her companions must think she was crazy (indeed Emiko had been about to ask Sesshomaru if Kagome was...you know, a little funny in the head...and Sesshomaru had been about to kick Kagome, or something of the sort.). She blushed.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" she wanted to know.

"I hadn't said anything." Emiko stared at the girl. '_Well, so much for the trusty line you always read in books._' Kagome thought sarcastically. '_Way to go, Kagome.'_ "What I was _about_ to say," Emiko continued, "was: leaving already?" Kagome nodded, but Sesshomaru answered for her.

"We must make haste." Was all he would say. Kagome shrugged her agreement. Emiko nodded.

"May your journey be smooth and without the perils you have encountered thus far." She said seriously. "Kagome should rest before taking to the road. She shall still be feeling weak for a while." Kagome nodded at the advice, and smiled at Emiko. Again, it was Sesshomaru who spoke.

"We owe you a debt of gratitude, miko. You may call on me shall the need ever arise to repay it." Kagome bowed to Emiko, and then both travelers turned away. After they were a fair distance from the miko's hut, Sesshomaru hoisted Kagome over his shoulder, and started running. Before they disappeared, Emiko could see Kagome beating on his back in a futile attempt to be freed.

'_Not a couple, my ass._' She thought and smiled. Then she turned to her hut and walked in, closing the door behind her. She had left many chores undone while she cared for Kagome. She might as well get started on them now.

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A/N: 'ello. Sorry for the late posting...highschool, man. It sucks. What does it suck, do not ask, and I will not tell, for that would be rather vulgar. Anyways...yeah. I have been majorly swamped with drama stuff. I am very involved in my school's drama program, appearing in two musicals and one play just this year. I am spending about three to four hours a day, depending on which day it is, on drama or drama-related stuff...I have it as an elective for an hour, and then I work after school for an hour and a half, and then I go home and practice some more. I am starring in a production of Anything Goes, a complex musical. I, a freshman, was astonished to get a main role (I have the second female lead, which means a pretty big part, second only to the first female lead). I am determined not to let my drama teacher down in taking this risk with me. I have three of my own songs, and more scenes than I am used to. I have about three weeks to learn how to tap-dance (thus the after-school rehearsals), and about two more weeks to know all of my lines, songs, and scenes by heart. And, I am working on another play at the same time, the Rememberer, where I have a much smaller role. Then comes the schoolwork, the piano, and the art classes. And somewhere in between that, I have to fit this in...so in short, I am sorry. Wow, this is a long author's note.

Yeah...and the only reason I am still on this computer is that my parents don't know the outcome of my math finals (62/100)...let's just hope it stays that way...

**Thank you to the following reviewers: **

**Kags21, Solaira, Lindsay-chan, **

**Sango92, **

**AlessaLoveless, SESSHIROCKS **

**Mangadreams, **

**Myoung, and at last, Kannasoul09**

Thank you for sticking with me. Your reviews really do make a difference. Reading your reviews is what really inspires me to write these more boring chapters before things really get heated up. Thanks again.


	10. Caring Too Damn Much

The Disappearing Well

By: chair-chan

Posted: 8-13-07

Title: Caring too Damn Much

Disclaimer: If you see a really cool disclaimer in somebody's profile, and you paste it into your story, do you have to disclaimer that disclaimer? Yadda yadda, not mine, yadda yadda.

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Kagome wiped sweat off of her brow. She felt grimy and disgusting after a long day of walking. Not only had she been forced to retrace her steps from the village where she had recovered from her little bout with poisoned berries, but she had had to walk all the way to the Southern Castle as well. She wondered how much more of this she was going to have to endure before Sesshomaru called a halt.

"We will reach the castle before long. Kagome, you may ride in the baggage cart until then. I shall confer with you in private when we reach the castle. Until then, do not leave my sight. The Southern Castle is not known for its hospitality...especially not to humans. Behave in the proper manner in which I instructed you earlier. That is all."

The train again started up. Kagome gratefully climbed into the aforementioned cart. She would have time to cool off before she reached the castle. She probably smelled terrible. Her deodorant was on its last legs. She quickly rummaged around and found its remnants; she didn't want to cause a minor war just over her smell. After about half an hour, Kagome spotted lights in the distance. Another half an hour, and the gates of the Southern Castle loomed over them. Remembering Sesshomaru's commands, she grabbed her writing case (as a secretary, she carried this with her at all times) and exited the cart, standing three feet behind Sesshomaru; humans and those of lesser rank would never stand on the same line or before a demon lord such as Sessho. A human would also never lift her eyesight above the ground: even the lowliest demon's feet were of higher stature than a human's gaze.

The large gates ponderously swung open, and the procession paraded inside. Guards guided them all to their designated areas; the servants were occupied with unloading Sesshomaru's baggage and installing it in his quarters. A Southern guard, wearing a shiny silver breastplate adorned with a blood-red crest started to lead Sesshomaru away. Kagome ran to catch up. It was remarkably hard to see where she was going while trying to keep her gaze down. When she caught up, the guard gave her a hard stare, but when Sesshomaru ignored her, and she kept behind them the proper yard, he diverted his gaze and continued leading them.

As they entered the castle itself, and wandered through the maze of hallways, Kagome surveyed the opulence with tightly veiled contempt. Who needed such extravagance? Who could waste so much to live in this excessive wealth? She already had a bad opinion of the Southern Lord, and she had not even met him.

Finally they arrived at a large double door, which the guard opened for them. They entered a small chamber, with another man in livery and another set of double doors awaiting them. The man took one look at the new guests, and swung open the other set of double doors. These doors led to a large eating area, with many people already seated. The man banged on the floor five times with the heel of his foot, causing an oddly metallic sound to ring out. Within seconds the room was silent.

"Announcing the most highly praised Demon Lord of the West, Sesshomaru Inutaisho."

Don't even mention the human, do they, Kagome noticed. As Sesshomaru walked through the room to the high table, the talk did not resume. Kagome almost took a place at the table, but remembered her instructions in the nick of time, remaining standing like a proper human.

As soon as Sesshomaru took his seat, dishes were brought out by a swarm of servants. A cacophony of sounds rang out: conversation reigned once again, the dishes being served making clinking sounds against the table.

"You're late, Sesshomaru." Said the man on Sesshomaru's left. By his placement, Kagome deduced that he was the Lord of the South. The demon lords sat in the order of their directions: North to the most left, then East, then South, and then West.

"I ran into some...difficulties." Sesshomaru answered inscrutably. The other lord gave him a hard look, but did not delve further. He instead turned back to his food. Kagome took the chance to study him, recording her mental notes in her mind.

'_Lord of the South:_ _Red eyes, short blonde hair, large nose, rough lips, square chin, strong jaw and brow. Mildly handsome, probably attracts women by his power, not his looks. Not officially mated, because there is no lady seated next to him, but probably owns a harem of considerable size. Looks like a strong, ruthless warrior. Probably very heavily muscled. Broad shoulders and back. Has a very steady air. Seems well-balanced and grounded, like a bear; unlikely to be taken by surprise. Weapons worn openly number: a long sword and a dagger. Hidden weapons include two daggers, one residing in the intricate metal charm he wears openly, and one concealed in the ponytail his short hair is gathered in. Gets along easily, as most large men do, with his neighboring guests; ever so often glances at Sesshomaru, perhaps trying to divine what is wrong._' Kagome moved on to the next guest at the long table.

'_Lady of the East: Female, long braided green hair, green eyes, dainty features, but showing much determination. No mate apparent. Favors jewelry, wears much ornamentation of metal. Considered beautiful by demon standards. Delicacy extends only to her face; she is about as heavily muscled, in a lithe manner, like the southern lord. Formidable intellect showing in her eyes. Weapons probably placed in the following places: inside of wrists, small of back, each shoulder blade, back of neck, strapped to legs, inside top of shoes, braided into hair, on a necklace inside her shirt. Also weapons of stealth such as poisons and gasses are likely to be placed in compartments such as, but not limited to: secret pockets in clothing, most likely placed in the small of the back, and/or natural folds in the cloth. Also any capsules worn or incorporated into necklaces, talismans, charms, or sewn on as ornamentation on clothes may be present. All metal adornments likely worn to mask the odor of her less benign companions. Her manner represents a woman of power much less than an assassin. Watch out for her._' Kagome again moved on to the last occupants of the table, the Lord and Lady of the North. Kagome was unsure which was the ruler and which was the spouse, not that it really mattered. She would profile the pair anyways.

'_Lord of the North: Male, unremarkable shoulder length brown hair. Plain face. Wears a sword openly, but carries no other detectable weapons, openly or otherwise. Wears no metal ornamentation that could mask the scent of weapons. Seems quite calm, but carries himself with pride. If I had a guess, he would be the ruler, not his wife. Wears plain but good-quality clothes. The cloth is probably more expensive than any of the other's whole ensembles. Seems to be the peacekeeper, stepping in when there are fights. Now his mate. Lady of the North: black hair, peach-shaped face. Brown eyes, strong jaw. Thick lips, almond-shaped eyes. Curved brows. She, too, is dangerously unarmed, only carrying a short knife. She looks like she knows how to use it, though. I wouldn't care to fight her. She is surrounded by a faint...aura. Kind of like a miko, except not the same. Hmmm. Interesting. She too seems quite relaxed in this gathering of the most powerful demons in all of __Japan__. Seems young, but who knows how old she is in demon years. This pair will probably turn out to be the most complex of the gathering, because they seem the most simple._'

Her musings had apparently taken up most of the dinner, because almost as soon as she had finished, Sesshomaru abruptly got up.

"Hey, wait, Sesshomaru!" said the Lord of the South. "We haven't even eaten the last course!"

"I am quite tired." Sesshomaru replied icily. "Are you questioning my actions?"

"I'm sure he wasn't." Intervened the Lord of the North. He seemed to be doing that a lot. It just supported Kagome's theory of him being the peacekeeper. "Go along, Sesshomaru. We know it must have been a hard journey. God knows that I am aching for my bed. Perhaps I shall retire as well." With that, the Lord got up, his wife trailing him. They followed Sesshomaru, Kagome keeping behind him. As soon as they got out into the hallway, the northern lord split off from Sesshomaru; his rooms were apparently in the north of the castle, with Sesshomaru in the west. Kagome caught up to Sesshomaru, now that they no longer were in a formal setting.

"What was that about?" she wanted to know. "Why did you raise such a fuss?" Sesshomaru didn't even look at her.

"None of your business." He declared, speeding up. Kagome was soon running to keep up with him. '_What's his problem?!_' Kagome wondered.

What was Sesshomaru's problem, you ask. His problem was that he cared too much about the girl. "Grrr!" He growled to himself. He didn't notice that Kagome was staring at him like he was a maniac. He reached his suite in record time, and pulled the door open. Kagome managed to slip in before he slammed the door with a very loud 'BANG!'

"What is your problem?!" Kagome hissed at him.

"You!" he roared. "I just care too damn much about a stupid human's discomfort." Kagome looked at him, dumbfounded, but he continued to pace, not even noticing that he had said this out loud. He opened the door, and poked his head out. A servant immediately came to attention.

"Yes my Lord?" she asked inquisitively, keeping her gaze down.

"Fetch me a tray of food from the kitchens." Sesshomaru growled.

"Right away my Lord." She said, and hurried away.

'_Hmmm._' Kagome thought. '_I mean, I knew that he cared about me to some level, because he still hasn't killed me for that time I threw up on him...but it's one thing for me to suspect it, and another thing for him to say it. But he's still an asshole. Ah well. We shall see where this path will lead._'

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Sesshomaru growled. That girl was proving to be too much trouble. And she wasn't even doing anything wrong! But sitting at dinner, he had found it hard to concentrate just sensing her discomfort. He had left so abruptly because of it. He sighed. He would admit it to himself. He didn't love her, didn't even like her in that way but...she was sometimes a pleasant companion...and he didn't like to see—or feel—her having a bad time. He growled again. This would make for a very unpleasant stay; humans were treated like dirt here, and she would be uncomfortable most of the time. He heard a knock on the door. He wrenched it open.

"Yes?" he snarled. The servant shrank away.

"Your tray, milord." She came in, placed it at the low table in the middle of the room, and scurried away. He slammed the door after her. He hated these timid types. He much preferred (as much as he hated it) Kagome's fieriness and attitude.

"Sit." Sesshomaru said in Kagome's general direction. He gestured towards the food. When he turned around, she had already eaten nearly half of the food. He whistled. "That's impressive." He said. "You pack a lot of food in a small body." He told her. Kagome's mouth was too full to say anything. She just made some unintelligible gurgling sounds.

"Guh mah reeth foo." Sesshomaru cocked his head, and looked at her.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you any manners?" he asked her in his most well-bred tone.

"Hawh." Was his answer.

"I suppose not. Ah, well. What is one to expect of a human? Perhaps I will teach you, one of these days. It would be terribly rude of you to continue your existence in this manner." Kagome nodded gleefully, and with a smile, stuffed her mouth full again.

"Ah ahwee!" she exclaimed, and then smiled, showing him her half-chewed food. Sesshomaru sneered disgustedly and turned away.

"Well, we can tell you weren't bred to be royalty." He muttered as he surveyed his room. It wasn't too bad, but not what he was used to. There was a nice-sized bed for him, and a pallet at the foot of his bed. The colors, of course, were green and gold. There was a bedside table, and a vase containing a delicate orchid blossom. There was a green carpet, and the table that Kagome had been eating on was covered in gold leaf. Kagome was no longer eating there, apparently. The tray was there, but she was absent. Perhaps she was washing her hands. He signaled a servant to come inside and pick up the tray.

The same shivering lady came in and quickly got it. Then she quickly went away, perhaps to the kitchen.

"Kagome?" he called. She emerged from the adjoining room.

"Just washing my hands." She said with a smile.

"Kagome, what do you enjoy doing?" he wanted to know.

"Uh...why do you ask." He glared at her. "Hey," she said, "you're the one who asked. Can't you answer my question about WHY you asked?"

"No." he said.

"Then I can't answer yours." She said, her nose in the air.

"Kagome, don't be difficult."

"Why not?" she wanted to know. "Why can you be difficult, but I can't?"

"Because I'm better than you." he said childishly. Kagome looked at him for a minute, and then started giggling.

"Oh, man." She said. "You are a very convincing child. Why didn't I see it before? You're so...so _petty_ all the time!" she wiped tears from the corners of her eyes.

"I am not!" said an incensed Sesshomaru.

"Really?" asked Kagome. "What kind of non-petty person would hate their brother just for being half human? Or put his maid to work just because he can. What kind of person makes his maid find the perfect quill for him, and then discards every choice she makes? Hmmm?" Kagome smiled like the cat in Alice in Wonderland. Sesshomaru sighed.

"All right, all right." He sighed. "I admit it. I am quite a petty person. But only when I need amusement. I don't do that stuff to you anymore. And I don't hate Inuyasha 'only because he's half human.' I hate him for other reasons."

"Such as?" Kagome wanted to know.

"Well, he's a brat that was never even spoken to harshly. Father never curbed his atrocious behavior. He even encouraged him. While I, at that age, would have earned myself a quick punch or shout. Sometimes I think he purposely annoys me. So there." He stuck out his tongue at her.

"Why are you acting like this with me?" she asked him. "Why are you asking me about myself, being..._playful_? Why?"

"Because I...I like your company. And I have been rather...mean to you, so I realized now that I wanted to know more about you." Sesshomaru admitted. What good would lying to her do? "Don't get any ideas..." he warned harshly. "You interest me as a...as a friend, nothing else."

"Oh, Sesshomaru." Kagome said to him, her face softening. Her eyes were a little watery. "That...that's so...sincere. Thank you." She wanted to fling herself at him and give him a big hug, but he would probably get angry if she did. "Well...in answer to your previous question...I like calligraphy, but I never quite had the chance to learn. Well, actually...I was taking this class, and I got pretty good, but then we ran out of money, so I had to get a job to help out. So I didn't have time to practice. I've probably already forgotten everything." She looked down sadly. "It's okay, though." She sighed. "It would have been a rather useless skill, anyways." Sesshomaru nodded.

"Are you still interested in learning?" he asked.

"Of course!" said Kagome. "I think it's really beautiful. The letters are all graceful and flowy..." She sighed, and smiled wistfully.

"If I had a good teacher, would you take lessons?" he asked.

"Oh, you don't have to do that for me!" said Kagome quickly. "Really, I'll be fine!"

"But you said you would still want to." He said. "And who says that I would do that for you. Maybe it was just a hypothetical question."

"Well, if it was indeed a hypothetical question..." she looked at him doubtfully. "Yes, I would."

"Good." Sesshomaru said. "It's settled. When we return to my castle, you will take lessons in calligraphy."

"Who's the teacher?" asked Kagome, ready to smoke him out. Even Sesshomaru didn't have such resources at his fingertips.

" Me." He lifted his pale eyebrows, and displayed a faint smile. Kagome opened her mouth. "Don't argue," he warned her.

"I wasn't going to." She said. "I'm not _that_ ungrateful. Besides, I really have earned it. Thank you, Sesshomaru. That's a very generous offer." Secretly, Kagome thought that Sesshomaru was delirious, and that he wouldn't remember this conversation in an hour, let alone in a week. "Now, maybe we should go to sleep early. Okay?"

"You may sleep." Sesshomaru said. "I don't need as much sleep as you do." Kagome nodded, and changed into the kimono set out on her pallet. She came back and lay down on her pallet, covering herself with the blankets provided.

"Good night." She said, not expecting an answer. And for a while, she didn't get one.

Then, finally, "Good night."

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Kagome woke up. She lay in the dark room for a second before realizing that a foot had prodded her awake. It was probably, like, three in the morning!

"What time is it?" she ground out.

"Twelve o'clock."

"At _night_?!" Kagome sounded scandalized

"In the afternoon, idiot. We don't have a window in this room to wake you up." Sesshomaru sounded amused. Kagome groaned.

"_Twelve in the afternoon_! I am soooo screwed! Sesshomaru will kill me..." she looked up at...who, but Sesshomaru. "Ah, hello, Sesshomaru." She grinned a cheesy grin and suddenly tried to cover her head with her blanket. Sesshomaru growled.

"Wake up." He said.

"Only if you promise not to beat me up." She said. Sesshomaru raised his eyebrow.

"When have I ever beaten you?" he wanted to know.

"Everyone's got to start somewhere." She muttered. Sesshomaru's eyebrow twitched.

"I assure you, Kagome, you do _not_ want me to start now." He growled.

"I don't know," said Kagome, "you seemed a little off last night. Calling me your 'friend.' Do you want to take that back?"

"No." said Sesshomaru, defeated.

"Perhaps you would have _more_ friends if you were a little nicer." hinted Kagome. "Like...not waking people up by kicking them? Sound reasonable?" Sesshomaru just glared, and then turned around. He threw something at her, and exited the room. He turned around just before he closed the door.

"If you're not dressed and bathed within half an hour, I will drag you out, and bathe you myself, whether you like it or not." And he slammed the door shut. He seemed to be doing that a lot, lately.

Kagome uncovered her head, and realized that the cloth he had thrown at her was an outfit. She picked it up, and opened the door to the bathroom. A lukewarm bath was waiting. She shed her night clothes, and jumped in. She used the soaps provided, washing her hair as well. For some time, she just lay in the water, relaxing. Then she heard Sesshomaru's knock at the door.

"Five minutes, Kagome. Are you up yet?" he asked.

"Yes!" she yelled at him. He said nothing more. She quickly exited the bath, and toweled herself off with the cloth waiting for her. She wrapped her now-used towel around her wet hair, rubbing it first to get some of the moisture out. She used her rather dead deodorant before donning the loose kimono that had been thrown...err..._given_ to her.

At just this moment, Sesshomaru opened the door, and entered.

"Pervert!" gasped Kagome. "You really would have bathed me yourself, wouldn't you?" Sesshomaru looked at her in distaste.

"Only if you would have forced me to." He said. Kagome frowned and stuck out her tongue at him.

"Whatever." She said, stepping out, and swerving around Sesshomaru, giving him a wide berth. There was a tray on the table (thankfully not the same tray from last night) with food on it. Kagome's stomach grumbled, and she sat down at the table. "Thanks, Sesshomaru!" she exclaimed. Her mouth was already full when Sesshomaru called from the bathroom.

"Didn't it occur to you that that food might not be entirely for you?" Kagome looked down.

"No." she said truthfully. The tray was set for two. Sesshomaru snorted, and came in, running a hand through your hair.

"Well, as you've no doubt determined now, _after_ I've told you, some of that food was meant for me." He sat down at the opposite side from her, folding his long legs under him. He picked up his chopsticks, and began to serve himself.

"Some servant you are." He muttered.

"I thought I was to be your secretary." said Kagome primly. "Secretaries only serve coffee, not meals." Sesshomaru snorted.

"Yes, whatever you say." They completed the meal in silence.

"So," started Kagome, "where are we going now?"

"Well, you already missed our morning talks." said Sesshomaru, "but that is alright, because the only words exchanged were pleasantries. In about fifteen minutes, we have another three to four hour session. We usually talk about changing boundaries, trade, peasant uprisings, and occasionally, wars. If an insult is issued, that is. You will, of course, take notes as best you can." Kagome nodded.

'_All those years of note-taking will finally come in useful. Hmm. To use the regular method, or the Cornell method they insisted on teaching us? Perhaps Cornell notes would be more efficient._'

"What are you thinking about?" asked Sesshomaru, curious. Now that he had told Kagome he considered her a tentative friend, he could be much freer, at least in private. To some point, he trusted her.

"Oh, just that all that time of taking notes on whatever my teachers lectured about will come in handy now." said Kagome.

"You would take notes on your teacher's lectures?" asked Sesshomaru, surprised. Most girls weren't even educated, let alone allowed to listen to the wise men lecture.

"Well, yes. All of the students did. At my high school, I think that there were around two thousand of them."

"_In one class_?!"

"No, silly," Kagome said, "in the entire school! We had at least fifty teachers in my school. I don't even know half of them!"

"I cannot imagine such an institute." said Sesshomaru.

"Oh..." Kagome trailed off, realizing suddenly that she had revealed a tad bit too much. "Well, they exist." She said lamely. Sesshomaru looked at her strangely, but got up.

"Our talks will start soon. We might as well be early. It will take you some time to set up your inks and such." Kagome nodded, and gathered up her secretary's bag. She followed Sesshomaru in the confusing twists and turns of the corridors. She smiled as she remembered how at first she had thought Sesshomaru's palace was confusing.

Sesshomaru pulled open one of the few western-style wooden doors and entered the room.

"Ah, Sesshomaru!" greeted the Lord of the South. Then he sneered as he saw a humble Kagome enter. "What is _that_ doing in here? Don't tell me you've taken up one of these human whores like your father did." He sniffed, and covered his nose. "They stink and breed like rats. Disgusting."

"She is merely my secretary." said Sesshomaru. "Human wenches are much more biddable than demonesses. I'd rather not spend years breaking a demoness when I can break a human in months. Take everything away, and then they thank you when you give them the smallest of liberties back."

Kagome sat down behind Sesshomaru and bowed her head. Tears dripped down from my eyes. 'That's exactly what he did to me.' Kagome sniffed. '_And I thought that he was my friend. That I had broken through to him. Boy, was I wrong._' She hung her head in shame, and began organizing her supplies. Kagome prepared herself for a long and tear-filled meeting.

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A/N: Sooooo! How'd you like it? Yep. The tenth chapter was the big one! Sess finally stopped deluding himself!

Go ahead, review, don't be shy! In fact, I have to thank these reviewers, who totally pushed me to do this. Without them, you would have no chapter. Because every time I would look at this chapter, I would just have no inspiration. But I would think of the faithful reviewers, and I would be like, oh, man, I really have got to do this for them. So, finally, I did. And to make it up to y'all, I wrote a super-long chappie (12 ½ pages!), I will post another one-shot, and the first chapter to another story I started thinking about. Oh, and I also will edit my other chapters to this story.

So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, to:

Tales Reign, mangadreams,

Marufan

Alessaloveless, Kags21

Lindsay-chan

Reimei-Hoshi, Death by Me

Chi Bara,

Sango92, hentai18ancilla,

Hiei Lovers,

PurityFlower, Darkpsychoqueen,

And, last but not least…drumroll, please

Kibagaaralover18

Also, thank you to those who have added my story to your favorite authors list or author alerts list. J

And thank you most of all to those of you who have stuck with me, reviewing for chapter upon chapter!

Yes. I have recently been fiddling with several stories. I have at least, like, fifteen stories that I start when I get the inspiration, and then I abandon when the next idea comes along. I promise I will get to all of them, which is why I haven't posted them yet. See, I write like a crazy person. I start in the middle of the story, and work backwards. That is why when we get to the second arc of this story, I have already written, like, 150 pages. Yeah. Oops. Didn't you know we had a second arc? Well, there is. It's a twist I've never seen before (although that doesn't mean anything) haha. Well, you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?

Anyways, sorry I didn't update so long….I'M SORRY!!! L stuff just...happens. High school...extracurricular stuff...my non-existent life...my mom getting sick...enough said. Haha. Sorry for the extremely long and boring A/N if you bothered to read it. (Thank you very much if you did.) I hope to update sooner, next time. Until then! J


	11. The Meaning of the Word Subtle

The Disappearing Well

By: chair-chan

Posted: 8-20-07

The Meaning of the Word Subtle

Disclaimer: Inuyasha's not mine sticks out tongue but he's not yours either! Nyah nyah

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Sesshomaru sniffed, and immediately stiffened. He could smell Kagome's tears. Why was she crying _now_? She had weathered so long under his...well, he admitted it, petty command. Why was this happening now?! Was she _trying_ to make his life hard? The other demons could smell her tears as well, but politely refrained from making comments. The Lord and Lady of the North finally arrived, and the meeting began.

Sesshomaru was ultra-aware of her silent sobs and shudders. He cursed her, himself, and all of the gods he could think of. How was he supposed to keep his mind on the meeting when she was _crying_?! He told himself that he was getting soft, and tried to ignore it, but he couldn't. After a while, her cries abated, and he could once more keep his mind on the talks. He hoped that she had been taking notes, because he hadn't heard a damn thing they'd said.

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Sesshomaru felt like banging his head on the desk. The meeting was taking waaaaay too long, especially when he could feel Kagome's discomfort pressing down on him like a ton of bricks. He ignored the idiotic impulse, and closed his mind off from her. He could scream at her later. He bit down a sigh, and turned his attention back to the Eastern Lady's rant about power for demons and death for humans. How stupid. A mission like that was way beneath him. He was quite surprised when she turned to him.

"We need to show these pitiful beings who are the bosses, don't we

Sesshomaru?" Her eyes were eager for the confirmation that she expected.

"Actually, no, I believe that we would do well to appease them." Sesshomaru said simply.

"Really?" she asked, eyes flashing. "That's not what your opinion was last gathering."

"People change. Opinions change. Those who do not are condemned to die."

"Is that a threat?" she asked softly.

"No, Kuiko. Only a warning. There are four demon lords, and a million humans. Who do you think would win if they were to mass against us?" His answer was silence. "Perhaps it would be best if this meeting were to be adjourned." The Lord of the North nodded, and Sesshomaru swished out of the room. Kagome scrabbled after him, closing her ink bottles, and sweeping them into her bag. She had fortunately had much practice in swiftly stuffing lots of stuff in a small bag at the courtesy of her school.

When they reached Sesshomaru's suite, Sesshomaru waited by the door until she entered, and then slammed it, whirling around and turning on Kagome.

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"Could you feel her crying?" asked the Lady of the North, otherwise known as Aya, of her husband, Satoshi. He nodded, with a troubled look in his eyes. "Poor girl. I don't know what happened, but with Sesshomaru as her master, I'm not surprised, whatever it is."

"All is not as it appears." warned Satoshi. "And Sesshomaru's sudden change of heart will definitely cause trouble. Before we always had a majority on the subject; South, East, and West against them, and us for them. Now that West has come over to our side, Kuiko will definitely be angry. This will cause many arguments."

"Yes," sighed Aya. "And knowing Sesshomaru, he probably has a motive for his all too sudden change. I want to keep an eye on the girl." Satoshi waved his hand.

"Do as you please. Just don't bother me if your agent is discovered."

"Don't worry," said Aya, "he won't be."

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Jakotsu sighed. After being summoned to the quarters of the Lady of the North, and personally issued a mission, this wasn't what he'd expected. Instead of killing dangerous demons, or bounty hunting and meeting hot guys on the way, he was standing in a narrow, dusty corridor, spying on an emotionally constipated taiyoukai and his 'secretary.' Now he was yelling at her. Oh joy. Nonetheless, Jakotsu listened in.

"What did I tell you about us feeling your emotions?! You actually _project_ them! You broadcast them to the world! And the world doesn't want to hear them!" Jakotsu sighed. Same old same old master yelling at the servant. Sesshomaru _was_ rather good-looking, though. Perhaps he was gay. He'd never heard of the Western Lord taking a lover.

"And you were _crying_! What the hell was that supposed to be!?" The girl sniffled, on the verge of spilling her tears again. Yes, all predictable behavior in the presence of Sesshomaru. But she gathered herself together, and her eyes flashed.

"Well, _forgive me_ for maybe being a teensy bit upset at something you said. After all, if I've survived being kidnapped by you, then I can survive everything, right!? Of course, nothing you could do would _ever_ hurt _me_! Tell me, do you even _think_ about the things that come out of your mouth?" Sesshomaru opened his mouth, obviously about to say something else not extremely well-thought-out, but the girl bulldozed right over him. Hmm. Strange, a servant yelling at her master.

"You don't, do you. Because if you did, you would never have said anything that hurtful, you inconsiderate prick!" At this, she again burst into tears. Now the demon lord seemed genuinely perplexed.

"Kagome, what did I say?" he asked.

"See!" she sobbed. "That's what's so wrong! You don't even know what you said!" Sesshomaru stared at the girl for a while. Finally, he gently asked,

"Kagome, are you in heat? Is that why you're so upset?"

"No!" she screamed at him. "My God!! You're so thick! First you go, oh, Kagome, you're my friend, and then you're like 'humans are easier to break' and all that!"

The demon looked at her for a minute. "Kagome, I didn't mean what I said." He said seriously. "That was just me trying to prevent a minor war."

"But it's true." She whispered brokenly. "That _is_ what you've done to me."

'_Well, this is a strange turn things have taken,_' thought Jakotsu, resisting the urge to cackle. '_I'm sure that the Lady of the North will be pleased with this information._'

"So what. So did my brother." replied Sesshomaru in a steely tone.

"What do you mean?" Kagome looked up, her red-rimmed eyes baleful.

"He got you used to him yelling and throwing tantrums and not letting you go home and running to Kikyo, divided in his attentions. If you hadn't lived with that for years, you would never have tolerated it."

"Are you telling me that the past four years of my life have been a lie?" Kagome sounded dangerous.

"No." said Sesshomaru. "But if you weren't forced to live with, say, Miroku's groping, would you put up with it?" Kagome glared at him for a long time. Then she dropped her gaze.

"You're right." She sounded defeated. "But Sesshomaru, look, I just can't trust what you just said when I'm still your servant."

"Alright." Sesshomaru sighed. "You know what, fine. Fine. Do whatever you want. I'll give you money, a horse. Ride off. Find Inuyasha. Continue on whatever idiotic quest you wish to fulfill next. But," here he sighed again, "I don't see why you want to leave someone who only wants _you_ for someone who favors a _dead lady_ over you." Kagome wearily turned around.

"And who is this person who 'only wants me?'" she asked mockingly.

"Err...well..." And Jakotsu was surprised to see Sesshomaru blush like an adolescent. "That came out wrong. What I meant to say is, that I only want your _company_. And if you want to stay...when we get back, you won't have to be a servant anymore. As of now, I release you from my service. But please, just stick with me for the rest of the meetings. It would seem really strange if I let you go now." Kagome eyed him distrustfully, but nodded.

"I'll stay." She said.

"What happened to 'oh, that's so sincere!'?" Sesshomaru mimicked. Kagome frowned at him, obviously trying to keep a smile down.

Jakotsu took one last look, and stealthily crept away. Oh yes, he had news to tell his Lady. Oh, yes. And he was sure she wouldn't miss a chance to play matchmaker...

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"And so she says, 'I'll stay.' So Sesshomaru goes 'what happened to oh, that's so sincere.' And then I came to you, because I knew you would just love to hear such a yummy piece of gossip." Jakotsu's eyes were positively sparkling, and Aya's eyes were sparkling right along with his.

"Oh, this is so perfect! Talk about the irony. A human hater—"

"Falling in love with a human!" Jakotsu finished. "Yes, isn't it funny? There's a strange sense of symmetry, don't you think?" If possible, Aya's smile grew even wider.

"Oh, I have a lot of teasing for Sesshomaru." She said.

"If you want to keep your head, I wouldn't." warned Jakotsu. "Last time I bugged him about whether he was gay, he nearly disemboweled me."

"Yes, well knowing you, you didn't go about the subject most delicately." said Aya playfully. Jakotsu was a dear friend, and she had known him since childhood, but he did not know the meaning of the word 'subtle.' Aside from when he was on a mission, of course.

Even now, his appearance was atrocious. And these were his more muted tones! Yes, these were his 'spying clothes,' if you could believe it. His hair was its normal hot pink color. His eyes were an electric shade of orange. He had bright green markings in a diamond pattern down one cheek. But these were his natural features, and one couldn't fault him for them.

What one _could_ fault him for were his tight turquoise pants and his form-fitting and nearly blinding yellow shirt. And of course, she wasn't mentioning the deep indigo socks and the black shoes practically _covered_ in glittery pieces of quartz. Yep, her Jakotsu was a stunner.

"Nonsense." said Jak, bringing her out of her musings. "All I asked him was why the hell didn't he have a mate and if he was gay, could I have him. He hasn't talked to me in half a century. Geez, some people just don't know how to _let loose_, you know?"

"Jak..." Aya said warningly.

"Oh, all right. And I just _might_ have followed him around for a _teensy bit_ after that." Aya just stared at him. "All right, I stalked him! You happy?!"

"And...?" Aya wanted to know.

"And I attempted to give him flowers on his birthday. And maybe perhaps tried to braid them into his hair. But that's it! Really! He like, _totally_ freaked out!"

"Damn, Jak, you just don't quit, do you?" Jakotsu huffed and stuck his nose up in the air.

"I was young, alright?" he said.

"What the hell are you talking about?! This was only fifty years ago!! You can't use that line on me, mister. We grew up together. I know _precisely_ how old you are."

"Are the wrinkles showing?" asked Jakotsu with a forlorn air. Aya smacked him.

"Oh, just go already. I can't wait to tell Satoshi."

"About me and Sess, or..."

"You idiot! No, I don't even want to think about you stalking him. I want to tell him that we might just have a stauncher ally than we previously thought."

"Oh, alright then." said Jakotsu, sounding relieved. "Well, tell me how it goes."

"I promise." said Aya. "Now please get the hell out." Jakotsu giggled and left, with a huge, catty smile on his face.

Things were getting interesting.

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"What happened to 'oh, that's soooo sincere?'" asked Sesshomaru. The way he said it, in a high falsetto, made Kagome want to giggle, but she was still angry at Sesshomaru. It was hard though, because he had just been so...open. And if there was one thing that Sesshomaru wasn't...it's open. So she attempted to frown.

"Well, I don't know." said Kagome. "You sounded pretty sincere when you said all that human-hating stuff." Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow.

"What are you insinuating?"

"That you can sound sincere whenever you want to."

"Are you saying that this Sesshomaru would lie? Because I will have you know that this Sesshomaru DOES NOT LIE."

"Then you were telling the truth about humans being easier to break?" Kagome inquired, feeling all of her hurt feelings well up again. Sesshomaru took in a deep breath, and let it all out again.

"I suppose a white lie is okay." He said evasively.

"I don't see your previous statement as a 'little white lie.'" said Kagome acidly.

"You know what?!!" Sesshomaru yelled. "I don't know why I said that! But as soon as I said it, I realized that it wasn't true! Is that good enough for you, Princess Kagome?!" Kagome stared at him for a while, and gave a pathetic sniffle.

"I guess so." She said.

"So there." Sesshomaru stuck his nose in the air. "I didn't lie." The sight of Sesshomaru standing in a pose so much like Inuyasha's juvenile stances was just too much for Kagome. She started laughing, and Sesshomaru stared at her in amazement. But her giggles soon turned back to tears. She rocked for a little while as Sesshomaru continued to stare, not knowing what to do. Finally, she wiped her tears from her face, took a handful of his blankets, and blew her nose. Sesshomaru wrinkled his own nose. Eeew!! He would change those sheets before he slept on them.

"Kagome..." Sesshomaru said, wanting to end this fight already. "I'm sorry that I was a prick."

"Sesshomaru..." Kagome echoed. "I'm sorry you were too." It took Sesshomaru a few seconds to figure out what she had said, but when he did, he just glared his deadpan glare at her. Kagome figured this meant his return to normalcy. Somebody had probably slipped drugs into his food, or something, because he had been behaving oddly thus far into their stay. Strange. But Kagome just ignored him, and pulled out her futon, deciding to take a nap. She was exhausted after her fight with Sesshomaru, and she had a headache from all the tears she had shed.

She sighed, and yawned, before falling into oblivion.

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"So then he said, 'what happened to oh, that's so sincere?' and then my agent slipped away. What do you think?" Aya wanted to know. Satoshi blinked at her.

"Are you sure you sent Jakotsu to the right room?" he asked her at last.

"Do you think that Jak would miss a chance to spy on his beloved Sesshomaru?" Aya retorted sharply. Then she giggled. "Hah, you will never believe what he told me earlier today!"

"Do I want to?" asked Satoshi wryly.

"Probably not." Aya said. "But anyways, he told me that he practically _stalked_ Sesshomaru about fifty years ago."

"Really?" asked Satoshi, a smile beginning on his face. "Pray tell, when did this come up?"

"Well, I told him that I was going to tease Sesshomaru, but he told me not to, because our dearest Lord nearly killed him when he asked Sesshomaru whether or not he was gay. Of course, knowing Jak, I knew that that wasn't all he'd done. I prodded him a little, and he admitted to stalking Sesshomaru. And of course, he decided to get him flowers on his birthday. And tried braid them into Sesshomaru's hair." Aya smiled as Satoshi positively exploded with laughter.

"Ahaha…you don't know how much...hah...I would pay...ahah...to see that!" Satoshi was wheezing by now.

"Oh yes, that would be funny! I think that it's a miracle Jakotsu is still alive." Satoshi nodded, now trying to get over his attack of the giggles.

"Hah...such an emotionally constipated and stiff jerk...aha...the world has never before known...ha." he sighed, his guffaws winding down.

"I think we have a better ally in him than we once thought." said Aya.

"Perhaps." Satoshi turned pensive. "But again, especially when Sesshomaru is involved, nothing is as it seems."

"Oh, please, I think that Jakotsu could tell if he wasn't being sincere."

"I don't know. Sesshomaru is a master of deception. He could be assuming that we will be watching him. Only time, and his actions, will tell."

"I think that you should trust him." Aya reproved softly. "I do not sense any malice from him."

"Yes, well, we know how reliable your powers have been in the past." said Satoshi sarcastically. "You were the one who told me that often, you do not know if what you are sensing is real or not."

"This time, I am sure." said Aya. "My premonitions have become increasingly accurate these past ten years. You know how hard I have been training." Satoshi sighed. This had become a sore spot the last decade.

"Yes, I know, you are working hard and gleaning results." He dutifully repeated to forestall any arguments. "But you know that nothing is ever one hundred percent."

"I know that we have a staunch ally in Sesshomaru." Aya stood firm.

"And what exactly have you seen to give you that idea?" Satoshi wanted to know. Aya hesitated. "Well?" he wanted to know.

"Um...actually...nothing. But something tells me that we can trust him."

"So we are not going on any magical gift of sight you have been given, but a _heartfelt_ and _sure_ feeling?" Satoshi growled softly. "This 'something' as you call it could be indigestion, for all we know! We must have more to trust somebody as volatile and unpredictable as Sesshomaru. _I _must have more."

So that was that. Aya sighed and turned from Satoshi, walking into the other room to get ready for bed. He would be feeling her displeasure tonight, when he found himself on the floor. Aya gave a small smile and defeated the urge to cackle evilly. Nuh uh. Satoshi ain't getting any tonight. Heh heh heh.

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A/N: well, what do you think? Did I get it out quick enough? 10 pages, oh yeah!!! The next chapter might be much longer in coming, since I am right now in Israel, and in two days, I am flying home. And my home right now consists of boxes, as we moved in five days before our flight here. Soooo...after we get over jetlag, we are unpacking a whole house. Which will not be pleasant. And I have to catch up with my friends, after all. So, no new chappie for a while, I think.

I wanted to get this chapter out quickly for you guys, so it is not edited. It will be at some point. Yep.

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By the way…I HAVE A NEW STORY OUT! Haha, the capslock was just to get your attention. It's only one chapter as of now. But it is a looong chapter. I would like some reviews, as feedback, and encouragement. Of course, I'm not going to beg or threaten not to update if I don't get a certain amount of reviews (I hate it when people do that) but I _do_ get encouraged when reading reviews, even when it's 'hey, why the HELL haven't you updated!!!!' What can I say, I love it. Anyways...on with the show.

So, thank you to the following reviewers:

TiearraMoon, mangadreams,

Kags21,

PurityFlower, Mlmonty,

Demoness-MarlstonWells69er,

Hiei lovers,

Sesshy's princess Kagome,

Obessedwithroxas,

And, last but not least...dun dun dun...

Pimpmastervoldie

This chapter is dedicated to Mlmonty, for his/her sweet offer, and to Kags21 and mangadreams for sticking with me. J thanks!!


	12. A Truce

The Disappearing Well

By chair-chan

Posted: 9-20-07

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and Co. are not mine.

A Truce

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Kagome and Sesshomaru groaned at the same time. Both resisted the urge to bang their heads on the wall.

"If there is _one more_ meeting like that..." both said angrily. Then Kagome giggled.

"Jinx." She said. "You owe me a soda. One, two, three, infinity times infinity plus one!!!" She looked over at Sesshomaru. "You have to say coke." Sesshomaru glared at her. Why did she have to interrupt his anger with a silly...well, he didn't know quite _what_ it was.

"What are the words 'jinx, soda, infinity, and coke?'" Sesshomaru wanted to know.

"Uh...jinx is when two people say the same thing. A soda is a kind of drink, and coke is too. Infinity is a term that was invented to encompass all the numbers. It's...all the numbers in existence. It never ends." Sesshomaru looked at her quizzically. "Never mind." She sighed. Sometimes she forgot that she wasn't in her own era. She had—frighteningly—become rather comfortable around Sesshomaru. Recently, though, she had been warier because of his human bashing comments.

Sesshomaru shook his head and let it go. The last meeting had been an abomination. Agreed, these meetings were almost always full of thinly veiled threats and arguments, but in this one, a fistfight had almost broken out. '_What has the world come to when taiyoukai fight each other bare handed?__In the middle of peace negotiations?!'_ If this afternoon meeting was the same, Sesshomaru was returning home, end of meetings or not. Nothing was being accomplished, aside from useless fights.

"Where did you learn of this 'jinx'?" asked Sesshomaru, curious.

"Uh…It's a human thing!" Kagome silently patted herself on the back for coming up with a suitable diversion.

"But Rin has never mentioned anything like it. What village are you from, again?"

"I already told you." said Kagome evasively.

"Yes," said Sesshomaru. "Tokyo, where the grass is green, the sun always shines, and everybody is always smiling. The wonderful Tokyo."

"Erm...not exactly." Kagome thought of her polluted world. Hah. Sesshomaru would have a heart attack if he knew how his lands would look in five hundred years.

"Explain."

"P...P...Puh...Plea...Please...?" Sesshomaru glared at her, refusing to say it. She resolutely crossed her arms. He rolled his eyes and huffed, blowing his bangs out of his eyes. How cute.

"Fine. Will you _please_ explain, oh princess Kagome." She mimed a curtsy at the irate demon lord, and fluttered her lashes.

"Fine." She mimicked. "Uh..." she had actually been trying to come up with an explanation. "Rin is too young to know."

"Why? It seems a rather childish game." Uh-oh.

"Maybe she just doesn't remember?" she offered.

"Human...Ahem...Kagome..." he corrected after she glared at him. "Rin lived among her own people until the age of six. I am sure that after four years, most of her memories have not yet fled. I remember things from when I was six, which was about three hundred years ago."

"But you're a demon! We humans have faulty brains, you know." She wagged a finger. "We have trouble remembering anything even seconds after it has happened."

"Your mind is not the only thing faulty with you." He muttered. "Although it _is_ the main thing." Kagome decided to ignore that lovely tidbit and tossed her head.

"Whatever. Are we going to the meeting or not."

"It'll be the last one, whether they like it or not." Sesshomaru threatened. "Tell the servants to pack."

"You tell them!" she said. "I don't feel like getting up yet." Sess glared at her, so finally she rose and went in search of his head servant. Then she returned to the room, to pick up her writing gear, and followed Sesshomaru to the meeting.

She arrived just before the Northern Lord. When she had only gotten out her inks, he strode in.

"I have an announcement to make." He said. "Those of you who have not already done so, please announce to your servants that this is to be the last meeting of our gathering. So far we have accomplished absolutely nothing, aside from arguments. Apparently truce is not to be reached, at least not this year." Sesshomaru nodded in agreement. The others were not so quiet, nearly starting another fight. The lord and lady of the south and east sure were feisty, always looking for arguments. Sesshomaru snorted. Could they not see that they were proving precisely what the Northern Lord had just said?

"But I do wish to resolve the matter of the humans once and for all. Who is against, and who is for? Each of you shall have a turn to explain their reasoning." He looked to the Lady of the East.

"I detest humans. They are a plague upon this world. I have made my feelings clear, and I see no need to elaborate." Said the so-called lady, her red eyes flashing. Kagome had to restrain herself from jumping up and arguing. Next in line was the Lord of the South.

"I have no solid opinion right now." said the Lord. "I pass." The Lady of the East growled in fury. She knew what the last two votes would entail.

"You know what my vote is." said Satoshi. "I am for the rights of humans."

"I as well." said Sesshomaru simply.

"Ah." sighed the Northern Lord. "We have reached a consensus. Now what shall we do about it?"

"Keep your demons under control." said Sesshomaru suddenly. "If any villages are razed, the demons shall have to answer to their ruler. You must proclaim this. If the ruler does not take action then I, as host of the next meeting, have the right to step in and deliver punishment."  
The two lords nodded, but the lady only narrowed her eyes, this time hissing. '_She should decide whether she is a dog or a cat._' observed Kagome.

"By the honor of my fathers, and my father's forefathers, I will abide by this law." Said the Lord of the South, startling Sesshomaru.

"By the honor of my fathers, and my father's forefathers, I will abide by this law." Repeated the Lord of the North.

"By the honor of my fathers, and my father's forefathers, I will not only abide by the law proposed, but I shall enforce it." said Sesshomaru. Then the three men turned to the lady of the East. She clenched her teeth.

"By the honor of my mother, and my mother's mothers, I will abide by this law." She changed the time-honored phrase lightly, brazenly. Sesshomaru only shrugged, glad she had given her word, but the Lord of the South immediately took this as his cue to argue. Sesshomaru stood up and turned to go.

"I will be gone by the morrow." He said to his host, and walked out of the room filled with bickering demons.

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Kagome smiled. She had been forced to wake up early, but she was so glad that she didn't have to play the part of a servant any longer, she hardly cared. And this time around, she didn't have to walk. She rode in the baggage cart happily, wedged in with baggage on all sides. She endured the entire day, and the day after that, by sinking into her thoughts. She reviewed her lessons. She ranted to herself about Inuyasha. She ranted to herself about Sesshomaru. She ranted to herself about her matchmaking friends. She ranted and whined in her head about everything she could think about.

And finally...it was there; the big imposing castle, back-lit by the setting sun. She blinked. Where had the illusion gone? She put it on the list to wonder, whine, and rant about in her spare time, and hopped off of the cart, running up to the doors. She pulled happily on one of them, but...they wouldn't open. She smacked herself on the forehead. How could she have forgotten? The entire castle was built for demons; even a demon child could open the doors, and the children too weak to were ones too young to be allowed out alone. So she waited until Sesshomaru walked up in a dignified and sedate pace. The doors creaked open by themselves, the magic shattered by the guards now revealed. When they saw the intruder, they barred the door. Sesshomaru whispered something to them, and they relaxed, letting him and his entourage to the outer yard. Kagome added that to her list as well.

She bounded through the yards until she hit the castle itself. She happily ran through the maze of corridors she had found confusing only a short few months ago. When she reached Sesshomaru's room (in essence, her room) she glared at the guard, who opened the door. The guard posted inside promptly closed it as soon as Kagome had entered, and stood in front of it.

"Don't let him in, okay?" Kagome asked the demon. "It'll be our secret." She winked. The demon guard stared back at her, dead-pan. Kagome frowned, and finally shook her head. She ran to the bed, and jumped on it. She spread out on the huge piece of furniture, draping her limbs over every available surface. She managed to take up the huge bed all by herself, and was halfway asleep when Sesshomaru finally tracked her scent back to his room.

"Oh, by all means, make yourself comfortable." He said dryly at the rather oblivious girl occupying HIS bed.

Kagome was half asleep, or she would never have talked back to him. "I am." She murmured. He snorted, and looked down on her. His first urge had been to push her off of HIS space. Then he had realized that this was likely quite petty. Plus, she seemed so peaceful. He didn't want to disturb her. He knew how comfy his bed could be; after all, he had chosen it. Perhaps he would afford her this one night of luxury she could never hope to permanently attain. He closed his eyes, rather ashamed that he would back down from a human, and spun around on his heel. He sent the guard a glare and didn't wait for him to open the door; instead, he reverted to his energy form, and passed through the wall. He would probably spend the night brooding, since he didn't actually need to sleep. Sesshomaru growled and once again berated himself for leaving her on his bed. Why he should just go in there and kick her off...

And so the brooding began.

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Kagome woke slowly. She felt warm, for a change. And whatever she was lying on was soft, far softer than her pallet on the floor. She finally opened her eyes to the blinding light, and gasped. She sat up, and looked around the room. She sighed in relief. No Sesshomaru. Boy, would he be mad if he knew that she had fallen asleep in his bed. Hehe...she should just pull out her pallet and pretend that she had slept on it all night.

At this moment, Sesshomaru walked in, looking completely disheveled (for a change) and sporting a complete case of bed-head. He rubbed his eyes.

"I hope you enjoyed your one night of luxury." He grouched at her. Kagome looked at him quizzically. He nodded at the bed. "You do understand that you'll never have another chance to sleep on this bed?" his voice was deceptively smooth. Kagome gulped. She just knew that he would go nuts at any second. She quickly scrambled up, and bowed hastily.

"It's all yours, milord." She gestured grandly. "And if I do say so myself, it does look like you need sleep." He snarled at her, and Kagome giggled. Technically, he couldn't really do anything to her now, because she had been released from his service. This was going to be fun!!

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Kagome sighed and buried her face in her hands. How had she thought that this would be fun! Sitting around and doing nothing all day...that was NOT fun! After three days of enforced boringness, Kagome was about to burst. There was absolutely nothing to do!!

She had tried walks in the garden, which had utterly bored her. She had ranted some more in her head. She had even started writing a diary, but her day had been so boring that she'd had nothing to write about!!

Suddenly, Kagome heard a knock on her door. A servant made her timid way in. "Yes?" Kagome asked her. She knew that if she did not say something, the girl would just cower there for hours.

"Please forgive me, but Lord Sesshomaru has requested your presence." She said in a soft and wispy voice. Kagome sighed. At least it was something to break up the monotony. But he would probably yell at her or something. Yuck.

The servant girl led the way up the stairs and through a wing that Kagome had never entered. Finally she stopped at a door. Kagome giggled. You could always tell where Sesshomaru was, because there was always a guard outside the room. She stood and waited for the guard to open the door and close it behind her. She looked around. This time there was no guard in the room to close the door.

Kagome finally took in what she was seeing. The room she had been led to was large and roomy. Several tables and chairs lined the walls, along with shelves. Windows made up one entire wall of the space. It was sunny and bright. But what had awed Kagome were the paintings covering the walls. There were bright paintings, dull ones, accurate ones, and ones that seemed like a child's scribble. There was even one of an adorable silver-haired puppy at the foot of a gigantic mound of dog. That must have been Inutaisho in dog form. Another painting that caught Kagome's eye was one of a man. He shared the familial silver haired and golden eyed gene with Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, but he had only one stripe on each cheek, ragged and dark. His bangs fell in his eyes, and his hair was held up by two chopsticks. He looked regal and commanding. Kagome finally realized who the subject was.

"Inutaisho." She breathed.

"Yes." said a voice. Kagome spun around, startled. She saw Sesshomaru and relaxed.

"You could give a girl a heart attack!" she scolded. Sesshomaru just raised a brow, impassive, probably since he didn't know what the hell a 'heart attack' was.

"The paintings were my sister's. The calligraphy is mine." He said in that same impassive voice. Kagome took another look, and noticed that there was calligraphy on the wall as well. It just hadn't been as prominent. As she moved closer to inspect it, she breathed in a sigh of awe and envy.

It was beautiful. To put it simply, Sesshomaru was _the_ most gifted calligrapher she had ever known. It was strange, Kagome reflected as she looked over his work, that she had never expected this. She had seen Sesshomaru's hard side...but she had never suspected that he might be capable of producing something so wonderful.

"It's amazing." She whispered.

"Thank you." He said stoically. Then he ruined it by adding, "I know." Kagome sighed with exasperation, but when she turned to look at him, somehow, she knew he was joking with her. "Sit down at that table." He commanded roughly, pointing at one of the many in the room.

"You're not the boss of me!" said Kagome, incensed.

"I am if you want to learn how to do that." Sesshomaru pointed out, referring to his calligraphy.

"You...you'd really teach me?" Kagome asked softly. He only narrowed his eyes at her.

"I said I would, didn't I?" he wanted to know.

"Well, yes, but...well, I..."

"This Sesshomaru does not renege on his word." He told her firmly, interrupting her stuttering. Kagome stood there watching him as he strode to the table. She came back to her wits as he stood there, staring at her. She ran over to him and pulled out her seat, plunking herself down.

"Alright." She said. "I'm ready to learn." At last, perfect fodder for her diary.

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a/n: ok, I'm really sorry that this took so long. I was going to post it two days ago but I was too lazy and then I forgot. You guys probably don't want to hear my life story, but unpacking a house is hard. Plus I had 1 week to do all of my summer homework (I wasn't supposed to be going to the school I am at now). Add onto that APBio and APPsych, as well as PreCalc, Spanish 1, and dance classes...and you get somebody who is pretty beat when they get home. Yeah. But now I have somewhat adapted to the workload and I will have more time writing. When we get later into the story, I promise, chapters will get longer. I already have one that's 18 pages long! I promise! I'm sorry, but school-related obligations have precedence. And the few short Tuesdays we have a year I am likely to be out with friends. Sorry.

Tenth grade sucks, man!!

Thank you to the reviewers of chapter eleven:

Mlmonty, angeodem0n,

xXx13EMO13xXx,

hiei lovers, obsessed with roxas,

pimpmastervoldie,

purity flower

Sesshy's princess Kagome

And last, mangadreams

Haha, by the way, I think that pimpmastervoldie is a pretty cool name. And to Mlmonty, I love Jakotsu too. You can have soo much fun with him! Okay, that's all. Back to homework.


	13. The Truth

The Disappearing Well

By: chair-chan

Posted: 10-1-07

The Truth

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Kagome smiled, happy. Her lesson with Sesshomaru had gone smoothly. She had learned practically nothing, but still, at least she wasn't bored. In the lesson she had learned how to hold her brush right, and how to dip it into the ink the right way. She had started on a few simple strokes, but every time she made one, Sesshomaru would find some minute way to correct her. Still, it was a sign that he was paying attention, so Kagome didn't much mind it.

Now she was in the dojo. She had stopped practicing her swordsmanship for only a few short days, but it showed. She was training very hard to replace her former level...which admittedly, hadn't been amazing. She was in the middle of a kata when somebody interrupted her.

"You know, it does no good to practice if you are practicing the move incorrectly." A voice said. Kagome nearly dropped her sword, but resisted the urge, and whirled around. And who else could the intruder be but Sesshomaru?

"Aren't you spending a little too much time with a filthy human?" Kagome asked, unable to resist poking fun at him. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Why Kagome, I didn't know that you could describe yourself so aptly." He said softly. Kagome gaped at him. Her first urge was anger, but then she realized...he was joking with her. Sesshomaru. Joking. With her?! "If you would not wish to swallow a fly, I'd advise you to close your mouth." He tapped her chin with one cold finger. Her mouth closed with an audible click.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked. She had to know.

"Doing what?" Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes.

"You're practically flirting with me." Said Kagome, eyes burning. "A human. You hate humans."

"I have told you before." He rumbled, "and I shall say it again. I do not hate all humans. I look down upon them. It is only Inuyasha and his foolish mother that I dislike."

"Why." Kagome challenged him with that simple word. His beast surged up to meet the challenge, but Sesshomaru pushed it aside.

"Because of certain inexcusable...acts that she has committed." He did not let his emotions color his voice, but his eyes flickered with the pent-up feelings.

Kagome just stared at Sesshomaru, hard.

"I don't believe you." She said. "What could she have done that was so terrible? A 'weak human?' I think you're just trying to rationalize."

"Do you really want to know?" asked Sesshomaru in an angry voice. "Do you think you can handle the truth?"

"Yes! This weak human can take it!" Part of Kagome wanted to back down, but the other part of her rebelled. '_He's not your boss!_' it screamed.

"She killed Sakura." He said in a whisper, so soft that Kagome could hardly hear it. She stood there, in shock once more. "She sent my sister off to certain death. And then she led my father off of the path of life as well. He died for her." At this last, Sesshomaru raised his voice, his eyes burning. "He left _me_ alone, after my mother's demise, and went to save _her_. He knew when he left that he would die. I was only twelve! Can you imagine what it would be like becoming a Lord at the age of twelve?! And knowing the reason that you are a Lord is that your father is dead? Do you?" Kagome was frozen in place. She couldn't say anything. "I would wake up every morning, in my grand suite of rooms that used to be _his_, and I couldn't forget. The Bitch and her wretched son had taken away the only thing I had. First my mother, then my sister, and last my father. _That _is why I hate her."

Sesshomaru's mouth compressed into a thin line and his eyebrows furrowed. He clenched his eyes shut for a second, and then turned on his heel and left the room, his boots making ominous clanks as they hit the wooden floor of the dojo. Kagome was left staring at his back, the soft silver hair swishing from side to side, and later, at the shoji that he slammed shut in his wake.

For once, she had nothing to say.

He had just been teasing. He was actually being nice to her, the way she had wanted for so long. And what had she done? Pushed him away. She had thought she could take the truth.

She couldn't.

How could she believe that Inutaisho's second wife, Inuyasha's mother, would willingly kill somebody?! Perhaps she wasn't seeing the whole picture.

She let her sword clank to the floor, and left it there, running after Sesshomaru.

She knew where he would be.

Kagome made her way around the maze of corridors that she now knew so well. Finally she reached Sesshomaru's room. She didn't even bother knocking, instead giving the guard a hard stare. He gave her a wavering glance that said 'far be it from me to stand in your way' and opened the door for her.

At first glance, you would have thought that nobody was there. But Kagome made another sweep of the room, her eyes instinctively seeking him out.

He was at his desk, as she had expected. He was clutching the painting of Sakura and slumping in his chair.

She reached out and was about to touch his shoulder when Sesshomaru turned around. His golden eyes were dark and flat. When he began to continue his story in monotone as if they had never been interrupted, Kagome began fearing that he'd lost his mind.

"Sakura was to be married to a geezer who saw her as a pair of breasts and a way to carry on the bloodlines. She knew that she would never survive in such a household, after being educated and allowed to become independent.

"Father and the Bitch wouldn't listen to her. They thought she was childishly prattling. But I knew that Sakura wouldn't complain without a cause.

"Finally she was married. After a year she could not take it any longer. She was pregnant. She took poison, and jumped out of the highest tower of his manor. When I saw her wrists I knew that this had not been the only suicide attempt. It had merely been the only successful one.

"Father did not allow her to be buried in the family graveyard. He said that no pure member of his family would ever commit suicide. I buried her in her favorite garden." Sesshomaru was silent, and Kagome realized that he had finished his story. She reached to him.

"I'm sorry Sesshomaru." She said. He allowed himself to rest his head on her soft chest, and she wrapped her arms around his head.

Kagome didn't know how long they stayed like that. Finally she untangled her arms. The best thing for him would be sleep. She led him to the bed, and he, still lost in his nightmares, followed her. But when she tried to leave, he grabbed her wrist.

"Don't leave." He pleaded in a childish voice. "Please don't leave, Sakura. I won't try to run away again." Kagome looked at him in surprise. His face was scrunched up like a child's, and he looked so lost. She sighed, and lay down beside him.

'_Ugh._ _And this is what happens when he tries to flirt with me._' Kagome frowned. '_Serves him right. Let's see him all embarrassed in the morning._'

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Sesshomaru drifted back to consciousness lazily, just laying in his bed and enjoying the absence of demands on him.

He tried to roll over, but was stopped by something rather large that he was clutching in his arms. He growled, still not fully awake, and wrinkled his nose. What could it be? He took a deep sniff. It smelled rather pleasant...then his eyes snapped open.

The first thing he saw was a mass of black hair

The next thing he saw were bright blue eyes staring merrily back into his own.

Of course Sesshomaru took the wisest course of action. He threw Kagome off of him and disappeared.

"Hey!" Kagome screamed, "_You_'re the one who dragged me into bed with you last night." She got nothing for an answer. "UGH!!!" she finally screamed, and stormed away. She was going to take a nice, relaxing bath, without annoying taiyoukai popping up every minute and dragging her off to bed with them.

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Kagome smiled as she lay in the hot spring. She fully intended to stay like this for the rest of the day. Her face wrinkled up as she thought of the events of the past week. Sesshomaru had been rather contradictory. It wasn't like him to be talking to her very much at all, let alone offering companionship and jokes. She was quite baffled with the turn things between them had taken. She fully expected answers...and soon. She recalled a quote from a few days ago.

"_I hope you enjoyed your one night of luxury." He grouched at her. Kagome looked at him quizzically. He nodded at the bed. "You do understand that you'll never have another chance to sleep on this bed?" his voice was deceptively smooth. Kagome gulped. She just knew that he would go nuts at any second. She quickly scrambled up, and bowed hastily._

"_It's all yours, milord." She gestured grandly. "And if I do say so myself, it does look like you need sleep." He snarled at her, and Kagome giggled. Technically, he couldn't really do anything to her now, because she had been released from his service. This was going to be fun!!_

What had happened to her 'one night of luxury?' Kagome giggled as she realized that Sesshomaru had, after only about five days, caved in. He hadn't reprimanded her for sleeping on his bed...oh no, he had practically _forced_ her to. Kagome's glee expanded. What a blow for the 'great Sesshomaru.'

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Sesshomaru groaned and clutched his head. What was going _on_ with him?! Not only was he becoming soft, he actually...didn't mind!! He had told her things about his past that others didn't even glimpse. Yes, he had respect for her, but not enough for...this! Ever since Sakura's death, he had become quite cold and distant from others. If Sakura was fallible...so were others. He didn't want to become close to anybody else to find out if his theory was true.

That was just why his actions towards Kagome were so terrible. She, a mortal, was more flawed than anybody. She would age and die, if not by her choice, then by the dictates of nature, and he would be left alone yet again.

The warmth that had begun to shine in Sesshomaru's eyes once more was extinguished. Now only cold seeped through. He began to close himself off again.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" a scream broke his reverie. What...then it hit him. Kagome! Without thinking, he sped to the rescue.

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Kagome smiled as she pulled herself out of her bath. She felt refreshed and ready to take on anything. She wrapped herself in a towel, and cursed herself for not bringing clothes. Now she would have to walk back to her room in the nude. She sighed and began the long, cold, drafty trek, leaving a trail of water from her hair.

Finally, she reached her door without incident, and gave a sigh of relief. She had half expected to be attacked for her 'indecent' state of dress in Sesshomaru's castle.

She opened the door to her room, and slipped inside, shutting it after her. She got dressed in a kimono that Sesshomaru had supplied for her. She was really getting tired of all of these kimonos. Perhaps she could get some nice, everyday pants made up for her. And perhaps not. Knowing Sesshomaru, he would probably be too uptight to allow her anything that he hadn't expressly ordered. Kagome scowled. It was time to get out from under his rule, at least a little bit. Then a grin lit up her face. She knew! She would go for a walk!

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Kagome smiled up at the blue sky. She had successfully sneaked past the demon guards at each wall. She didn't know how she'd done it; perhaps the demons hadn't cared about a human enough to be careful of them. Big mistake. Kagome was rather tempted to go to Sesshomaru right now and report this to him. But that would ruin her little outing, so she promised herself to tell him after she returned...again undetected.

Kagome lay in the tall grass, surrounded by greenery at last. She took in a breath of fresh air and closed her eyes, disregarding all of the small insects crawling around (and occasionally on top) of her. She had been away from this for way too long. She was accustomed to spending each day outside walking around independently, not shut up in a huge castle. She should have attempted this earlier.

'_Inuyasha would have such a hissy-fit if he knew where I was and who I was with._' This reminded Kagome of Inuyasha. Her eyes immediately filled with remorse. '_Inuyasha! How could I have forgotten about him?! He must be worried sick about me! I can't believe that _**forgot**_ about him!_' Tears dripped from Kagome's eyes.

'_I'm such a bad friend. If it was him that had disappeared, I'm sure that he would have tried sending us some sort of signal to let us know that he was okay. But not me. I live here in perfect luxury and I don't even ask Sesshomaru to tell them that I'm alright! I can't believe myself._' She repeated again, sobbing quietly to herself. '_I can't believe it._'

Kagome was so caught up with her troubles that she didn't notice a large, rather menacing demon sneaking up on her. So when she was lifted up by the scruff of her neck, she was understandably frightened.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" she screamed. Then she felt like smacking her forehead. She reached behind her shoulder for her arrows...and realized that she didn't have them with her. Nor did she have her sword, or any of her daggers. She gulped. She was in some deeeeeep shit.

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Sesshomaru leapt out of his window, and over the three walls that surrounded his palace. He immediately spotted the source of the shout being shaken from side to side by a huge disgusting-looking demon. It was poking its face closer to her with a look of enormous concentration, and was opening its mouth.

Sesshomaru raced towards it, drawing Toukijin, and neatly lopped off the arm holding Kagome. She screamed again as she fell, but it was only a few feet, and Sesshomaru figured she deserved it for sneaking out of his palace instead of informing him of her wish to leave. He would have assigned her an escort, and now she wouldn't be interrupting his contemplation.

Worry tightened his lips. While this demon was only a minor inconvenience to him, it could have killed her. His anger built as he toyed with the demon, letting off some steam. Finally, he tired of its simplistic attacks and finished it off, severing its head from its body. When he turned around and spotted Kagome, he found her on the ground, looking rather shocked, clutching her ankle.

He pulled her roughly up, and sped back to his castle, by-passing the illusions and the guards. When he finally reached his study once more, he thrust her to the ground, and towered above her.

"Human, do you realize the stupidity of the stunt that you just pulled?" She just glared at him, and pressed her mouth shut. His eyes turned red. "Return to your room." He dismissed her. If he stayed in the same room as her for much longer, he would kill her.

"Make me!" Ah, so now she would speak up.

"Do not tell this Sesshomaru what to do. Do not believe that because I let you live once, I will continue to do so." Sesshomaru was enraged. Her idiocy had cost him precious time, and now _she_ was challenging _him_?!

"It's always 'I this, I that. Me me me!' You never pause to think about how the other person feels, what they are thinking." How dare she, the ungrateful brat.

"You are making a mistake, Miko. That is presuming that I care what you, or anyone else thinks or feels." She was making him mad. He had resolved not to let her bring emotions out of him any more, but here she was, pulling emotions out of him that most people never glimpsed, or if they did, never lived to spread the word around.

That was just the thing. She was making him deathly angry—No one talked to the Lord of the West that way—but not once had the thought of silencing her forever crossed his mind. That is what really annoyed him. He did not know what caused him to be so weak as to spare her. It was despicable, really. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to hurt her. He couldn't bring himself to even touch her with bad intentions in mind.

'_So you've learned something new about yourself.'_ His youkai taunted. _'You have a soft spot for the Miko.'_ Sesshomaru growled.

'No I don't.'

'_Yes you do.'_ Sesshomaru snorted. As if it could sense his next retort, it spoke. _'Try to hurt her. Go on. Try. Really! Rip her to pieces! Poison her, watch her writhing form die. Choke her. You know you won't be able to do it.'_ Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes.

'Fine.' He thought. 'I will.'

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A/N: Soooo...Whaddya think? A cliff-hanger, huh? Hah, I was a little disappointed with the amount of reviews I got. They motivate me to write more. So all of you who are reading this story...just press the little purple button. Even if it's just to say 'hey, I like your story' or 'I liked the other chapters better' it still makes me feel like I want to write for you guys (and make the chapter better). This chapter is dedicated to my reviewers,

LadyKoneko,

Most Unlikely Angel,

Sweet pie 16,

Sesshy's Princess Kagome,

and, last but not least,

mangadreams

THANK YOU!!!


	14. The Real Deal

The Disappearing Wel

By chair-chan

Posted: 10-4-07

Disclaimer: not mine...at least not Inuyasha and co.

The Real Deal

A/M: OMG, I'm so sorry about the updating mistake! I don't know how it happened! Thank you all for letting me know! I'm sorry that you guys couldn't read it yesterday night:(

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Sesshomaru launched his claws...and embedded them in the wall behind Kagome. He sighed in frustration, and looked down at the wayward human.

"Go on, Sesshomaru." She taunted. "Do it." He growled at her and grabbed her shoulder.

"Don't you understand that you could have been killed?!" he asked her sharply.

"Seeing as you just tried to kill me now, that doesn't concern me very much." She shrugged, brushing it off. But in truth, Kagome was shaken. She hadn't been caught off-guard like that ever since her first arrival in Sengoku Jidai. It had scared her. She hadn't practiced with her bow ever since Sesshomaru had 'captured' her...perhaps even a month or two. Her meager skills must by now be really decayed.

"How can you brush off death so easily?" Sesshomaru growled. Kagome frowned. Perhaps he and her conscience were telepathically communicating.

She pointedly looked down at his hand that was now clutching the base of her throat, going practically cross-eyed. He followed her gaze at his hand. Hmm. He had no idea how that had gotten there.

He ignored the perverse urge to slap his hand and scold it aloud. Finally, he removed it, judging that she would not bolt if he let go of her.

"Well, most of my companions tried to kill me at one point or another. Inuyasha, Sango, Shippo. And they're all the best friends I have. Not to mention _you_. The first time you saw me, you tried to melt me with your super-poison! I don't think you should be talking about near-death experiences!!" she ended nearly shouting.

"Don't yell at me." He said softly.

"I will yell at you!" Kagome yelled. Sesshomaru raised his hand to cover an appreciative smile.

Hold on...wait...WHAT?! _Appreciative_ smile? Appreciative?! How the hell did that word get in there? And a smile? When was the last time that he had done that?!

('Hmm.' The cold part of his mind observed, 'You sure are being emotional.')

Wouldn't better descriptive words be 'disdainful sneer' or the like? He was brought out of his stupor by one incredulous comment from Kagome.

"You're _laughing_ at me?!" Her eyes narrowed. But after a while, when his smile didn't fade away, she rolled her eyes and smiled a little too. "I don't see what's so funny." she confessed.

"You don't have to." He managed to choke out. All of a sudden everything seemed so absurd. He resisted the urge to guffaw, finally giving way and allowing a small chuckle to escape. He brought one elegant hand up to cover his indiscretion. She scowled at him, but soon her anger was wiped away in face of his merriment.

"What is _with_ you?"

"I don't know, Kagome." He gasped out between chuckles. "I just don't know." Kagome glared at him for a moment, frowned, jabbed him in the stomach with her elbow, and stalked off. "Kagome, wait." He called, still laughing. She didn't give him a backward glance.

"Stop laughing at me!" she shouted. Sesshomaru felt a little guilty, but what he didn't know was that Kagome had walked off because she didn't think she could hold in her laughter anymore, and as she suspected that he was laughing at her, she didn't want to crack up in his presence.

Sesshomaru sighed as his chuckles wound down, and used his extraordinary speed to reach Kagome's room before that worthy reached it. He stood firmly in her doorway, blocking it. He would see her get through him.

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Kagome, poor, unsuspecting Kagome, walked right up to her door with her head down, mimed opening the nonexistent shoji, and walked right into him. She fell down and gaped up at him.

Sesshomaru immediately started laughing. He didn't know why. Perhaps some evil laughter spirit had happened upon him. He had never laughed this much in his entire life.

"You're so stupid!" He managed to choke out.

"Shut up!" Kagome told him, still on the floor.

"What is this shut up that you speak of?" he wanted to know, not even close to sobering up.

"Shut your trap. Close your mouth. Shut your piehole. Stop talking." Kagome elaborated.

"Shut up." Sesshomaru rebutted, trying out the new word.

Kagome got up off the floor and glared at him as he pushed her back down.

"What was that for?!" she asked him, starting to giggle herself. Sesshomaru just shrugged.

"How petty was that?!" she exclaimed in mock annoyance. "As soon as I get up, I'm pushed right back down!" Her smile turned to a wavering frown (wavering because she was hard-pressed not to turn that frown upside down). She lay down, and draped an arm over her eyes, pointedly ignoring Sesshomaru.

After several uncomfortable minutes, Sesshomaru too clambered down to the floor and covered his eyes with one arm.

"What is he doing?" Kagome wondered aloud in a monotone suspiciously similar to Sesshomaru's.

"I wanted to see what was so interesting on the floor. I am still uncertain." He said, mirth evident in his tone. She got up, and to his surprise, kicked him in the side.

"Would you please get up and stop laughing at me?!" she asked while trying to hide her own laughter.

"No."

"Fine! Just lay there until a servant happens upon you!" This quickly got him to his feet. Kagome promptly took hold of his collar and dragged him inside her room, slamming the shoji shut with a BAM.

"What is the meaning of—" He started demanding.

"We are going to have a talk. A serious talk. About what the hell has happened to you and how you are being overprotective." Sesshomaru glared at her.

"Woman, this Sesshomaru—"

"I'll start." Kagome said brightly. "Shush. The first time I saw you after we defeated Naraku was when you decided to pretty much kidnap me and make me your servant. I was walking around, as free humans tend to do. I wasn't under any constraints. _You_ weren't the boss of me. And worse, I was helping _your_ ward find her way back to you." Sesshomaru hadn't known that. He grimaced. He owed her. "You found us, and woke me up from my blissful," she shot him a dirty look, "sleep. Then you hoisted me over your shoulder, and refused to answer any questions until much later, when you announced that you were taking me to your castle.

"Then you shoved me into a set of rooms and had Jaken bring me food and bathing water. _Jaken_. I wonder if your target was to make me hate you. After some time—I have no idea how much—you summoned me one morning and declared that I would be your maid. I, of course, had no say in the matter. You then proceeded to make my life hell, sending me to fetch trivial things and making me redo everything to your standards, which was at least three, if not four, times.

"I suppose that I was elevated to the status of secretary, although it didn't seem like much. You dragged me to a demon castle, and along the way forgot that humans need regular meals. Then when I did try to forage for myself (on your orders, may I say) I picked poisoned berries and fell ill. Not a fun experience.

"When we did get to the castle, I was treated like dirt and trampled upon at every possible chance. You, of course did nothing—not that you could, and I don't really blame you for that. What I do blame you for is that 'humans are shit' comment that had to spill out of your mouth. Your attitude had been confusing me. At times you would seem laid-back around me, and at other times I thought that I was carrying a plague, with the way you were acting.

"Okay, so we got over that human-hating stuff. Then we got back home, and you released me from your service, following up on your earlier promise. Again, you confused me. You offered me private calligraphy lessons, but you were angry with me over trivial things. You even seem to be flirting with me at times...but when I get the slightest bit independent, you flip. Yes, I know I could have died, but you didn't have to freak out. You almost killed me yourself! I wouldn't have needed to be killed by the monster; you could have done the job.

"I have come to know you better, and I don't consider you cold and unfeeling anymore. But I don't know what the hell you want from me." Kagome took a deep breath. "Your turn."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at her. "That was quite a speech."

"I expect an even longer one from you."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Very well. I warn you that you shall not get it, though. Let me see." He struck a flamboyant 'thinking' pose. "At the beginning, you were just another human. Below me. But you displayed traits that I admire. You were brave in face of monsters, and you did not give up. I concluded that you were an exception to the norm of disgusting humans. I was angry at you for dispelling my generalizations. I wanted to see you fail. I wanted to see a moment where you were _not_ friendly and welcoming.

"So when the opportunity came up, I took it. I commandeered you. I kept you in a small room for some time, but never once did you go feral and try to escape. You performed your tasks as a maid imperfectly, but you did not complain. I was forced to feel some respect for you.

"When you tried to kill yourself, you surprised me. You shocked me back into the past. I resolved that I would not see another woman commit suicide. The rest is much of the same. Your actions speak louder than your disobedient and angry words. They present to me a human that I can respect. That is all."

Kagome gaped at him. Finally, she said, "you sure don't act like somebody who respects me!"

"I was worried about your well-being!" Sesshomaru blurted out. Kagome's mouth dropped open even further, if that was possible.

"Thank you." She said quietly. "I never quite thanked you for saving my life. So...thank you."

"It was nothing." Kagome giggled. For the first time, she saw Sesshomaru blush...but the fatal pinking was not of his face; instead, his ears turned a furious red.

"You're blushing." She pointed out.

"I am not." He growled, swishing out of the room.

"Are too!" she yelled after him.

"Am not!" she heard echoing back through the stone corridor. She laughed. Then she frowned to herself.

'_You didn't tell him that you thought he was cute._' Said her conscience.

'And very well that I didn't!' Kagome chastised it severely. 'I don't like him in that way, and you _heard_ what he said about humans!'

'Whatever, _baka girl_.' Said the conscience, who, strangely, sounded like Inuyasha. Weird...

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"Hey, Sesshomaru..." Kagome poked her head around the door of his study. She spotted him at his desk. In response, he looked up at her, annoyed.

"What is it?" He eventually inquired.

"You know how humans have these things called friends?" she asked. His gaze reflected his annoyance as he rolled his eyes.

"Of course." He made a motion for her to continue.

"Well, y'see, I have some, and I haven't seen them in a really long time, and I'd like to go back to them. Oh, and I'd like to return home for several days."

"Fine." He said.

"Pretty please...Wait...that was quicker than I thought. You're actually going to let me see my friends?"

"You are free to go." He made a shooing motion. "You are no longer under my reign. I have freed you, remember?"

"But Sess...I can't go alone!"

"Why not?"

"Well for starters, I don't know where the hell they are! Inferior human noses, remember? Secondly...because humans value companionship." She said.

"Hmph." He said. "Alright. When do you want to leave?"

"Wow, you're really cool today. You should be like this every day!"

"Human, get on with it!"

"How about tomorrow?"

"It is acceptable. Pack your oversized yellow knapsack, then. I shall send a servant to get you in the morning."

"Great!" Without thinking, Kagome reacted like she would among her own friends: she hugged him and skipped away, humming. It took her a while to realize that she had hugged THE Sesshomaru. Then she just shrugged her shoulders and skipped onward. Then again, if he died of shock, she wouldn't have anybody to accompany her to Inuyasha. She backtracked a little.

"Hey Sess, are you okay?" she called.

"I am not so sure."

"Alright then." She skipped away again, without a backward glance. Sesshomaru was left, standing in his study. After a while, he shook his head and resumed his work, not wanting to consider how he had felt when she had hugged him.

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"So, where's Rin?"

"With Jaken."

"She actually _plays_ with that _disgusting_ toad?!"

"He is her caretaker, yes."

"Gross. If I didn't know her, I would think that she would grow up to be a stunted individual."

"Jaken can actually be quite intelligent when he wishes to be. His 'idiot' façade serves for his purposes. And contrary to common belief, he does bathe daily. Most of the time. As a demon, he can't be any dirtier or his nose would suffer the consequences."

"Wow, who'd've thunk it."

"Why do you talk stupid?" Sesshomaru randomly asked. "Thunk is not a word."

"It's slang from where I come from."

"Where _do_ you come from?" Sesshomaru asked curiously.

"Well..."

"Since you are returning there, I will see it regardless."

"I give up. Promise you can keep a secret?"

"Do you doubt this Sesshomaru?" He arched an eyebrow.

"I suppose not."

"Alright. Do you know of the Bone Eater's Well in Inuyasha's Forest."

"That used to be my land, you know."

"And you're saying this...why?"

"Of course I know my lands!"

"Alright, touchy! Sorrryyyy!!! Anyways, see, the way that I get to my home is...I have to jump into that well."

"Didn't your mother ever tell you that lying is bad?"

"No. But aside from that, I'm telling the truth! The well is a portal to my home! Actually, it's a portal across time." Sesshomaru shot her an incredulous look. "If you'll believe it, I live five hundred years in the future."

"I shall believe it when I see it."

"You're welcome to!" said Kagome. "But I don't think that you can follow me. Only Inuyasha could ever pass through." The mention of his brother's name brought a growl to Sesshomaru's lips.

"Speaking of that brat..." Kagome had realized that the scenery was growing more and more familiar, but she hadn't thought that they were this close.

"Kagome?" She heard a voice say hopefully. Then when they were in sight of each other, the owner of the voice (Inuyasha) frowned and let out a low, threatening growl.

"Why are you here, Sesshomaru?" He rumbled out, drawing Tetsusaiga. The blade transformed, and he swung it back. "It doesn't matter. You won't be on this earth for much longer. Windsca—"

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A/N: haha, another cliffie. Oooh. I was gratified at the amount of reviews I got! And I got it in before Friday, Twilightpup. No hunting for poor chair-chan...heh heh.

To obsessed with roxas: haha, I'm proud of myself, all right! Yay for me, actually updating!

To pimpmastervoldie: I totally understand, I don't get how teachers manage to pile up so much work when they know that they actually have to _grade_ those papers! Masochism at it's best, I suppose. Ha, the quote made me laugh a lot. It reminded me of this other part of some other story that I'm writing where the Inu crew are reminiscing about all of the stupid stunts they've pulled...almost all of them involving pot...hah. not as implausible as you think, it's AU. You get to see when I start that story...not for a while, I think.

And, lastly, to angeoudem0n, mostunlikelyangel, sweetpie16, welshteen, mistressofdespair, twilightpup, and purityflower,

thank you _so much_ for dropping in. Just saying how much you liked the story (and threats on updates) really helped. ;) 3 you get a heart each. 

yay, exactly 9 pages!


	15. Feelings

The Disappearing Well

By: chair-chan

Posted: 10-11-07

Disclaimer: not mine! Inuyasha is NOT mine! Got that?!

Feelings

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"Inuyasha!!" Screamed a voice. Inuyasha slammed into the ground towards sweet oblivion. After he fell, it was possible to see his attacker. She stood behind him, a large wooden practice sword in her hand.

"Oi wench! Why'd you whack me?!!" Inuyasha groused from his position on the ground, rubbing his head.

"Because you were being a jerk." She stood there, blushing.

"You don't know who this is! It's Sesshomaru!"

"Hey, I'm here too y'know!" said Kagome in an annoyed tone. "What were you going to do, kill both of us?"

"Uh..." Inuyasha had the decency to blush. "Well..."

"You almost took away your beloved Kagome's life." Commented Sesshomaru. Kagome realized that he was teasing Inuyasha.

"Hey! She's not my _beloved_ anything!" Exclaimed Inuyasha. Yep, he still seemed to be suffering from the highly embarrassing foot-in-mouth syndrome.

"I would yell at you but I know it wouldn't do any good." Said Kagome tiredly.

"Damn straight." He actually seemed proud of the fact. That was when Kagome noticed the girl that had earlier bopped him when he had tried to attack Sesshomaru.

"Oh, Inuyasha! How rude! You haven't introduced your friend." Kagome gasped at her insensitivity. The girl had been hanging back, feeling out of the loop when the old friends talked.

"That wench isn't my _friend_." He bristled at the insinuation.

"Hey, don't call me a wench!" said the girl, eyes flashing.

"He really doesn't learn, does he?" Kagome asked Sesshomaru. "Oh, why am I asking you, you wouldn't know. I'm Kagome." She bowed to the girl

"I'm Mika." The girl bowed back.

"How did you get added to the Inu-group?" asked Kagome. Then she put her hand up. "Wait, don't tell me...you tried to kill Inuyasha, didn't you?"

"How did you know?" Mika gaped.

"Well, we all tried to kill one another at one point. It's how I met Inuyasha, and Shippo, and Sango, and Sesshomaru." Kagome smiled.

"How can you be so light-hearted about all of this killing?" asked Mika with an expression on her face that clearly said 'are you crazy?!'

"They all turned out to be my best friends in the world." Kagome smiled up at Sesshomaru, seeing the parallels in this conversation with theirs in the castle.

"Alright, I'll explain." Sighed Mika. "I'm a ninja. I was wandering in the woods near my training ground one day, when I saw an angry-looking hanyou being chased by a taijiya and a monk on a fire cat. I knew that I had to lend a hand. I stood in his way and threw my confusion dust in his eyes to keep him grounded. One of my kunai had barely missed his ear when the taijiya caught up. I heard her scolding him about running off and I realized that she hadn't been fighting him at all. Apparently they were close friends. It took me a while to get used to the whole demon hunter/demon relationship." Mika smiled. "When I found out I was so embarrassed, but he just brushed it off with a 'keh.'" She imitated Inuyasha's disgruntled mumble so well that he perked his ears up, looking around. "I just sort of followed them around, begging them to let me do something to regain my honor. They of course refused, and I have stayed with the group ever since. I don't have any family or anything, and I now realize that I could have done a lot worse than this."

"Have you heard the other's stories?" asked Kagome.

"No." said Mika.

"Here, tonight we'll have a storytelling session. How about that?"

"Sure!" exclaimed Mika.

"Oh no!" said Inuyasha, "No, I know where this is leading. You'll finish with the stories and then you'll move on to the 'how stupid Inuyasha is sometimes' topic. That's what always happens when more than one of you females get together!"

"Well, perhaps if you weren't so vulgar and rude, we wouldn't have cause to gossip." Suggested Kagome pertly, raising an eyebrow. He growled at her.

"I almost lopped his head off when he first called me wench." Said Mika.

"Me too!" giggled Kagome. "Did he ever tell you what happens when I say sit?" Kagome absentmindedly said the word. Inuyasha crashed to the ground with a muffled curse. "Oops!" Kagome exclaimed. "Sorry Inuyasha!" She walked over and helped him to his feet.

"I've never seen anything like that!" said Mika in wonder. "Hey, do you think you could add me in on the spell?" Kagome gave her an appreciative grin.

"I think we'll get along just fine, me and you." She said. She proceeded to march right over to Mika, and grab her arm. "Now come on. I want to say hello to everybody else!" She dragged the poor ninja off behind her. This left the two brothers staring at each other.

After about ten minutes of staring contests, Sesshomaru turned on his heel and followed the girls.

"You're just angry 'cause you lost!" Inuyasha yelled after him.

'I shall win next time.' Sesshomaru promised to himself. 'I shall...' dun dun dun...

Then he realized the absurdity of what he was thinking, and snorted. He continued walking towards the human village just ahead of him.

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"Kagome!" a feminine voice shrieked. "You're back!!!" Sango came hurtling out of Kaede's hut, and literally tackled her friend to the ground.

"Nice to see you too." Kagome said in a slightly strangled voice. Sango quickly got off of her.

"Where have you been?!" Sango demanded. "We were so worried! Especially when Inuyasha sniffed you down and realized that your scent disappeared somewhere in the Western Lands. After nearly being caught once by his brother, _we_ decided that we should keep out of his domain." By '_we_' Sango obviously meant her and Miroku.

"Well...I think that's something best discussed over our bath." Said Kagome, just as obviously meaning 'away from the boys' who were now trooping in with thunderous expressions marring their faces.

"I beat Sesshomaru at a staring contest." Said Inuyasha proudly as he neared.

"Wait...did he just say Sesshomaru?" asked Sango.

"It is the only way in which you could ever beat me." Came a disembodied voice.

"Please don't tell me that you're starting these stupid rivalries again!" Kagome felt like smacking her forehead. "Isn't this supposed to be my _break_?"

"I can't help it when he's being this stupid!!" Said Inuyasha. She gave him a look that clearly said 'shut the hell up.' "Why are you even here?!" Inuyasha finally exclaimed, turning on Sesshomaru when it was obvious that Kagome would not be budged. "You're not wanted!"

"Didn't I tell you? I captured your human before some time. She is my servant." Smirked Sesshomaru.

"Your wha—!!" Inuyasha started.

"But he released me from his service a few weeks ago." Kagome interrupted. "No need to get all hot and bothered." Inuyasha blushed, but didn't even put up a token protest. He must have sensed that it wouldn't do him any good. "Now, if you'll excuse us females, we'll leave you guys to sort out all of the possessive stuff. _We_ are going to take a bath." She looked around for support from Sango and Mika.

"Actually, I already bathed this morning after my exercises." Mika bowed out. "Maybe next time." Kagome and Sango nodded, and glared at the males.

"Try to keep the peace. And if Miroku gropes you, I wouldn't mind a few scars on him." Sango advised. Miroku gulped.

"My dear Sango, surely you would take it amiss if I were to lose my..._equipment_, if you understand..." Sango glared at him, and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"We are taking a bath. I could care less what happens in my absence." She stuck her nose in the air and stomped off, leaving Kagome to gather all of their stuff.

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"So what _is_ actually going on with you and Miroku." Kagome nudged Sango and smirked evilly. Sango sighed.

"Aaaahhhh...well...we've kissed, you know..."

"Ohoooo." Kagome whooped.

"Shut up! Anyways... what's going on between you and Sesshomaru?!"

"Don't change the subject, trickster. But for your information, nothing. Up until about a week ago I was still his servant."

"Well, there must have been a reason for that change." Sango reasoned.

"We're _tentative_ friends. Nothing more!" Kagome denied earnestly.

"Sadly, I believe you. How pathetic. He's so gorgeous."

"Yeah..." Kagome sighed dreamily. "If _I_ had hair like that..." She cackled. "One night I shall cut all of it off and make myself a beautiful wig!"

"_If _you can get that close." Sango wagged a finger.

"Actually, you wouldn't believe what he did one day..." Kagome proceeded to tell Sango all of the funny parts of her stay with Sesshomaru.

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"His hair was all mussed, and he growled at me. He was all like 'you will never sleep in this bed again, you should have enjoyed your one night of luxury.' I mean, I was surprised that he didn't actually wake me up and kick me out!" Kagome giggled as she closed that particular tale.

"How did all of this actually come about?" Sango asked. "How did you become his 'maid'?"

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"And so he just sort of demanded that I be his 'maid,' so I did what any sane human would do, I agreed." Kagome finished explaining, deciding to leave out the threats to Inuyasha.

"That explains why we didn't hear from you." Said Sango. "We were pretty worried."

"I'm sorry I couldn't get word out to you." Apologized Kagome yet again. "So...as a change of subject, what was that about you and Miroku kissing?"

"Erm...I pass." Sango blushed, but gave way when Kagome leveled a killing stare at her. "Haha...actually, it was pretty funny. So, after we decided to stay away from the Western Lands, I had gotten especially mad at Miroku one day for groping me in the middle of a meeting with the headman of a village having demon problems. I think the message actually got through his thick skull, because that night, he came up to me. He said something like, 'you know, if you really don't like it so much...I could stop...I could try anyways.' I don't think that he expected me to say yes. So I thanked him for his offer and accepted." At this point, Kagome started laughing, imagining Miroku trying to refrain from groping Sango in her tight demon-slaying outfit.

"So the next few days, I actually went out of my way to hit sexy poses. It was soooooo funny seeing him try to stop himself from just one touch!" Kagome laughed even harder, picturing the look of concentration on Miroku's face.

"After a few days, I told him that I didn't mind so much...just that he do it when it is _appropriate_! And only to me. He was so grateful he agreed right away! And...you know..he kissed me. But Kags, it felt so right. I can't even describe it."

"That's great, Sango!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Now Kags, you spill. What has been happening with you and that sexy demon lord?"

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Sesshomaru and Miroku had been slowly migrating towards the hot-spring that the girls were bathing in for a little over fifteen minutes, when they were finally in sight of it. Sesshomaru shot the 'monk' a look that said 'if you make a sound, you're on your own.' The monk got a smirk on his face and whispered: "Don't worry, I've got plenty of practice."

When Miroku realized that the hot-spring was not quite clear, he stumbled away, muttering in frustration. But Sesshomaru was glad for the bubbles frothing to the surface. To spy on the girls' disgusting human bodies repelled him. Such was not his intent...in fact, he didn't know what his intent was. All he knew was that if he wanted to be here, he would not question himself. He perked his ears when he heard his name. "Now Kags, you spill. What has been happening with you and that sexy demon lord?"

Sesshomaru grinned. This might turn out to be interesting after all. He settled in to listen.

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"I already told you! Nothing!!" Kagome insisted. Sango wouldn't believe her.

"Then what do you feel for him?" she asked.

"NOTHING!!!" Kagome repeated.

"Kags...you must have some feelings for him, even if it's just friendly feelings. You wouldn't stay this long with somebody who you didn't feel _something_ for."

"He _captured_ me! I didn't exactly have much say in the matter!" Kagome practically shouted, exasperated.

"Kags..."

"We're friends, all right. Friends. I'll admit that he's really hot and that I've grown to respect him a lot, but that's all I'll say."

"So you don't think that you like him just a teensy bit?" Sango wanted to know, holding up her fingers a tiny bit apart to demonstrate her point.

"No! And even if I did, I'm human, remember." Well, Kagome knew that Sesshomaru didn't hate all humans, but Sango didn't. She cackled inside with glee.

"Well, yeah, there's that." Sango's face fell. "You two would have been such a good match if he would just stop trying to kill everything and everybody that comes into his path. He _is_ quite evil."

"Oh, no!" Kagome said. "He can be very kind when he wants to be! I think that he just has very high standards of respect, and if somebody doesn't meet them, he doesn't think them worth his time." She defended.

"How do you know this?" asked Sango.

"Um...well...sometimes he says that he really respects me. He said that I earned his respect over the time that he has known me." Kagome blushed. "We had this sort of talk where I told him how much it had hurt to be kidnapped without knowing what the hell was going on and then shoved into a servant's role. He told me how much he had come to respect me while I had been his maid. Apparently that's why he freed me from his bondage. He said that my actions spoke louder than my whiny words, and that he had finally found a human that he could respect."

"Wow..." Sango breathed. "Kags, don't you see? He's got it bad for you. And if he doesn't now, he will later on."

"I don't see what respect has to do with crushes." Kagome stubbornly insisted.

"Fine." Said Sango. "I think you're in denial, but its okay. You've got a right to denial just like everybody else."

"Come on Sango, let's leave already!" Kagome prompted. She didn't want to have to answer any other probing questions today.

'He so does not like me!' She said fiercely in her head.

'_Yeah!_' her Inuyasha-like conscience yelled. '_He better not, that bastard!_'

Kagome giggled at this Inu-esque reply and continued packing up her bathing supplies. She and Sango dried off and got dressed, taking a little while more to enjoy the steam the hot-spring was giving off. Finally, they turned back to the village. Then Kagome stopped in her path.

"Oh no!" she blurted. "I left my bathing suit at the hot-spring."

"You better go get it before some animal drags it off!" exclaimed Sango. "You remember what happened last time, don't you? I'll come with you, just in case."

"It'll only take a few minutes." Said Kagome. "Don't worry about it."

"If you're sure." Sango acquiesced, and hurried back to camp.

When Kagome was only halfway to the hot-spring, something dropped in her path. It was her bathing suit. She looked up, and she could see an ethereal being floating down to her. Then she realized that it was Sesshomaru.

"So, Kagome...you'll admit that I'm 'hot,' is that it?" he asked as he came towards her. Kagome's eyes widened. 'Oh shit.' She thought 'He was listening!'

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A/N: haha, that didn't start like you thought it would, did it? Instead of Kags sitting him...well, Inuyasha has another fiery girl to contend with. Is it just me, or is this chapter a little...off...? Anyways, you're lucky y'all have a dedicated author (jk.) I mean, writing one lab report for seven hours is way too long. And reading forty pages from a psychology book for two-three hours is also way too long!!! I had 2 days to do both of these, and also study for a pre-calculus test. I haven't even had time to study for my psych test on Tuesday or my bio test on Thursday...and on top of that, I have to turn in my 1st independend studies Health packed on Monday...AP's are bad for you, kids. Don't take them.

Thank you to Most Unlikely Angel, who actually e-mailed me about the chapter 14 mix-up...when I read her e-mail I was like...oh shit...and second, thank you to the other reviewers who alerted me to this mistake (and also left a lovely review)

j.j.ryan

darknozomi

fastgurlsmartgurl

pimpmastervoldie

Jadestonetheyounger

And also, thank you to the other lovely reviewers (my preciousssss...)

Obsessedwithroxas

Ladyofgods

Cream-bunny156, Katey98y

Sweetpie16,

Mangadreams, and, last but not least, Tierramoon

YAY!!! Mucho reviews! Me Gusta mucho!!!!! (in case you haven't noticed, I'm learning Spanish.

To Cream-bunny-I love!!! ur bunny, every time I try 2 do one it messes it up.

To obsessedwithroxas-I love u 2 u are my lesbian lover (joking) hey, you get another message!


	16. Healing

The Disappearing Well

By chair-chan

Posted 10-24-07

Healing

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Her next thoughts were 'that jerk!' She sighed.

"Sesshomaru...why do you do these things?" she asked softly, cursing herself for not slapping him. She was too nice for her own good.

"Which things, Kagome?" he asked her. He too was surprised that she was taking all of this so easily.

"Things that get me angry. Don't you like being my friend? If you don't want to be friends any more, just say it, don't try to annoy me." Sesshomaru's eyes widened.

"We are friends?"

"Aren't we?" There was a moment of silence.

"Yes." He said decisively. "We are. And I would not do anything to break this friendship, Kagome." Using her name had almost become a point of pride for him. He liked the sound.

She smiled at him, and said in a falsely sweet tone of voice, "Then why were you spying on me in the hot-spring?"

"I wanted...to protect you...from the appendage-wandering monk." He said off the top of his head. Then he immediately stopped. "I take that back. It was a lie."

"And lies are certainly beneath milord Sesshomaru." She said sarcastically.

"Yes, they are." He sniffed. "I do not know why I came, Kagome. But my purpose was not to spy on you. I turned around when you exited the concealing waters." He wanted her to know that he had not been seeking cheap thrills like the monk.

"Whatever, Sesshomaru. But you listened in on a very private conversation, which should have _stayed_ private.

"My apologies, Kagome." He bowed his head to her, the largest sign of humility anybody aside from his parents had ever received from him. She growled at him, in a cute imitation of his own growl, and turned around.

"I accept..." she said, "but on one condition. Since you heard that I think you are good looking, you must tell me what you think of me."

"I have already told you why I respect you." He said stoically. She had a feeling that he was trying to see how far he could push her before she would bite back.

"How you feel about someone's looks and how you feel about their personality is different. Everyone thinks you're hot, but most are repelled by your icy air."

"Flattering, I suppose." He quipped. "What if I refuse your offer?"

"Then I suppose that I must remain angry at you." He said. "I might visit my home for a very long time and decide not to return."

"I would find you." He said, sure of himself.

"Oh really?" she arched a brow in the same way he always did.

"Yes. You are too intriguing to let go."

"That doesn't count, you know." She told him, referring to her requirements for accepting his apology. He arched a brow as well.

"I was not trying to subvert you. I was merely telling the truth."

"Flattering, I suppose." She copied his amused tone of voice.

"I think you are beautiful, Kagome." He said finally, still in the joking air. She half-expected him to tack a 'for a human' on the end of that sentence, but he did not. She remembered that he only hated specific humans, not all of humanity she they had once thought.

Kagome looked up to his face, still closed-off and unreadable. But his eyes...they had softened. And the rigid line of his mouth had relaxed.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru." She said finally, brushing her hair behind her ear. He resisted the urge to smile once more. He marveled how her smallest habits had grown on him.

"You have grown on me, Kagome." He said. "What shall you be doing after this visit is over?"

"I—" Kagome hadn't really thought about it. "Both you and my older friends are dear to me." She said softly. "I would miss all of you if I were to be separated from one or the other."

"Perhaps you would spend some time at the village, and some at my castle?" he offered.

"Yes!" Kagome smiled, and moved forward. "That would be great! Thank you for coming up with the suggestion!" she ran forward and hugged him once again, a small, short hug, before stepping away. There was an awkward silence until Sesshomaru silently started walking back towards the village. "Hey!!" Kagome called after him. "One hug can't have been _that_ bad!"

"The best way to break up silences is to leave." He said simply. He waited until she ran back after him, carrying her wet swimsuit.

"I can imagine you leaving some meeting when there is a silence." She snorted. "In some ways, you are soooo unlord-like."

"And in some ways you are inhuman." He told her without looking back.

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Kagome was squatting as she tended the fire (and the far more important pot of ramen). She stirred the pot with a spoon, and sampled a noodle. She figured that it was finished, and ladled everyone's share back into the paper cups. The entire group dug in. Mika was curious to see how it tasted, this 'ramen' that Inuyasha was always telling her about. Sesshomaru wanted to see what new surprise his human could come up with. The rest just wanted food.

"Oh Kagome, this is amazing!" Mika exclaimed, digging in with gusto. Inuyasha was already done and gesturing for more. Shippo was slurping up noodles with a blissful smile on his face. Sesshomaru carefully sniffed his cup, and touched his tongue gently to the surface only to recoil with a strange look on his face. Only the monk and the taijiya were eating normally.

"Thank you, Mika." She said with a smile. She ignored Inuyasha's requests for more (there wasn't any) and started eating her own cup o' noodles.

"It tastes...strange." said Sesshomaru. "It is interesting. I thank you for this new experience." Everyone in the group stared at Sesshomaru, while Kagome only continued eating.

"You're welcome, Sesshomaru." She said calmly. After a while, everyone got back to their own meals—or lack of thereof

(cough Inuyasha cough)—but nobody forgot what had just taken place.

Typically, it was Inuyasha who finally exploded. He jerked up and pointed an accusing finger at Sesshomaru.

"What the fuck is with you?!!!" he screamed, with his usual tact. Sesshomaru slowly looked up, and raised an eyebrow.

"I will not hesitate to dismember you, half-brother, if you do not cease with your shrieks." This only proved to incense Inuyasha even more.

"See! You're being a pansy!! A year ago, you would have done it already, not calmly given me a warning!!"

"I fail to see how my character traits are any of your business. And I do not see why you are complaining about my leniency." Sesshomaru said softly. Kagome realized that he was really angry. He recoiled, and Kagome was almost positive that he was getting ready to lunge at his brother. She did the only thing she could.

"SIT!!!" she exclaimed. Inuyasha slammed into the ground. Sesshomaru shifted almost imperceptibly, relaxing just a little. He said nothing.

"Fuck, Kagome!!" Inuyasha shouted from the floor. His voice was rather muffled.

"Do not speak thus in the presence of ladies." Sesshomaru said, eyes flashing unforgivingly. "You besmirch the name of the Inu no Taisho."

"Since when have you cared?!" Inuyasha snarled, coming to his feet. It was a wonder that his fire-rat haori never got dirty. If it hadn't had that magnificent power, it would be caked in so much mud that he would be a walking forest by now.

"Again, do not question my motives. And do not try to provoke me." He whispered. Kagome could sense this was getting quickly out of hand.

"Uh...Sesshomaru, could we have a talk?" She didn't really have anything to say to him, but it would get him away from the others, and she would get to talk the subject of fratricide over with him.

He nodded, his gaze never leaving Inuyasha as he rose. He stuck out his hand and hauled her up. She let go as soon as she was up, and opted for his sleeve as she tugged him away.

"Can he hear us here?" she asked softly. Sesshomaru nodded and they walked for another few minutes.

"What is it you wished to discuss with me?"

"It's just that...Inuyasha means a lot to me. I know that he's a little rough around the edges but..." she gave a helpless shrug. "We've been through so much together, I just don't know what I would do without him. I don't know what I would do without either of you." Sesshomaru's cold eyes bore into her, making her feel distinctly uneasy. His gaze only grew colder as she spouted off Inuyasha's virtues.

"Look. He hurts me so much, but it would hurt much more if he wasn't there to fill the gap." She said shortly, not wanting to take up any more of Sesshomaru's time. He was likely to take a swipe at her at the slightest provocation, and she didn't want to give him much provocation. But Sesshomaru surprised her.

"I know." He said, looking down, quirking his eyebrow, and shaking his head. "Do you still love him?"

The question again took Kagome by surprise. She shook her head sadly. "No. It was not to be." Sesshomaru gave her a searching look, but she did not elaborate. Finally, he seemed to have an 'ah-hah!' moment.

"It his dead lover, isn't it." He said astutely. "She is the one who broke you apart."

"We were never together in the first place." Kagome said bitterly. "He could never get over his 'precious Kikyo.' And then once she was brought back to life..." she trailed off sadly. "After that, he would only look at me when she wasn't there. I don't need that kind of a relationship. I don't need to be his comfort toy, to fall back on when Kikyo is not there, to be abandoned when she is." This she said with utter conviction, but the rage in her eyes contradicted her seemingly calm body language.

"I am sure that you will find somebody else who is capable of loving you the way you need to be loved." He said honestly, his frankness catching her off guard.

"I am not so sure." She said, and shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't matter. The real reason I wanted to talk to you was to get you away from Inuyasha. It would be terribly lonely without him." This was said in a bit of a mischievous tome.

"I will not kill him." Sesshomaru conceded. "I will only bloody him up a bit."

"All right." Kagome laughed. "I think he deserves to be soundly beaten once in a while." When Sesshomaru got an evil glint in his eyes, Kagome quickly stopped laughing. "Not too soundly, mind." She quickly elaborated.

"Yes, yes." He waved a long, pale hand at her. "I am not an idiot."

"Alright. I'm going back to wash the dishes. Will you come with me?"

"Yes." He said. More time with the amusing miko could not be a bad thing.

Kagome made her way back to camp, and gathered the pot. The others had dumped their spoons back in the pot, and had set it aside.

"Does anyone have a canteen that needs to be filled up?" she asked. Several were offered. She handed them all on Sesshomaru, who seemed rather affronted to be carrying them, and set off.

"Now, o demon lord, where is the nearest stream again?" she asked.

"In the opposite direction." Sesshomaru smirked. They reversed their path and were at the stream within five minutes.

Kagome bent down and started scrubbing at the pot. After a few seconds, she looked back at him, and then at the canteens. "Fill those up, will ya?" she asked, gesturing dismissively at his burden. Sesshomaru scowled.

"Now, that is not the right way to get what you want." Sesshomaru said. "Remember, more flies will come to honey than to vinegar."

"You would do well to remember that yourself." Kagome said. "But alright, since you are correct. Lord Sesshomaru, will you please fill up the canteens that you are holding? Preferably upstream to where I am washing, so that you will not get bits of ramen in them."

"Yes I will." He said graciously, and walked around her, finally coming to a squat next to her. He then glared at his pesky sleeve. "This Sesshomaru requires assistance." He gritted out. Kagome looked up, and he gestured to his sleeve. Her mouth formed a silent 'O' of comprehension. There was no way that he could roll his sleeve up with only one arm. She gently rolled his sleeve up to his elbow and let him be. He began filling the canteens.

"Will it ever grow back?" she asked remorsefully. After all, she was responsible for this missing arm.

"Bones reforming?" he snorted. "Not likely. While bones may heal, I have never heard of an instance when they grow back." He had a point. But he seemed so bitter about it. It was sad, how this beautiful creature could be so devastated by the loss of something so crucial. Then again, he seemed to function fairly well in day-to-day activities. But still, she would do anything to give him back his arm. She shook her head and snapped out of her daydream, and continued to scrub at her pot.

But she kept sneaking glances at the demon lord beside her. If there was one body part Kagome was a sucker for, it was arms. Men's arms, to be specific. The upper arms and shoulders were usually beautifully muscular, and the lower arms, from the elbow down...Kagome just couldn't describe it. Somehow, though, they seemed so _capable_, with the veins standing out, so _different_ from flabby female arms.

Finally, Sesshomaru couldn't take it any longer. "Why are you staring at me?" he queried the human.

"No reason." She said guiltily, like a child caught with the hand in the cookie jar. "No reason t'all." (Sesshomaru noticed that she didn't bother denying it.)

"Well, I would appreciate it if you would stop."

"Oh, you know you like it." joked Kagome, nudging him with her left shoulder.

"...I do not know who I should be more embarrassed for, me, or you."

"Hey!" she exclaimed indignantly. She looked up, eyes smoldering, and saw the humor on his face. "Why you little!" she exclaimed in a joking manner.

"I would appreciate it if we could get back to camp." He said, pointedly staring at the yet-to-be-cleaned pot. She flushed and set hard to work on the pot, trying to ignore the demon lord next to her.

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"He's just acting so weird!" Inuyasha shouted. He paced back and forth, fuming about Sesshomaru's strange reactions.

"We know, Inuyasha, but confronting him like that was probably not the most tactful way of going about that question." Said Miroku wryly.

"I agree, Inuyasha." Backed up Sango.

"Oh, so now you're on his side too?!" yelled Inuyasha indignantly.

"Look Inuyasha," Mika said pleadingly, "we aren't on anybody's side, least of all your murderous brother's."

"_Half_-brother." Gritted out Inuyasha.

"Half-brother." She tried to placate him. "But all we are saying is that maybe screaming 'what the fuck is with you' is probably not the best way to try to get answers out of a proud Lord."

"Feh." Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest, and stuck his nose in the air.

"I also see Inuyasha's point, though." Said Sango. Shippo and Kirara nodded along. "He _is_ acting strangely."

"Aaaahhhh." Miroku sighed amorously. "Love can do that to a man." He waited for the agreement sure to follow, and finally looked around when nobody said anything.

All of the occupants of the fire were staring at him in horror.

"What?!" he wanted to know.

"How can you even think that?!" said Sango finally, staring at him like he had grown a second head. Finally, Inuyasha broke out of his stupor.

"He has a point." He said. "The monk actually has a point, for once."

"Think about it!" said Miroku. "He's letting her get away with things no one else could. He's almost being...playful with her. He is being polite, thanking her in his own, twisted way. Don't you see! He's _got_ to like her, at least a little!"

"I'm not sure, Miroku." Said Sango, still unconvinced. "I just don't know."

"Only time will tell." Said Mika wisely. "But I also agree with you. This will be amusing to watch." There was a small smile on her face and she tapped her finger to her lips in anticipation." After a long pause, the monk turned to her.

"I think you and I shall get along very well." He said, an evil grin on his face.

"We already do, Miroku-sama." Said Mika in faux-innocence, just as Sango's fist hit his head.

"Ahh, Sango." Were the monk's last words before drifting into oblivion.

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Kagome and Sesshomaru marched back to camp, and found the occupants of the circle surrounding the fire suspiciously quiet. They cut off everything they had been talking about as the two entered the clearing. She sent a questioning gaze to Sesshomaru; she was sure that he had heard them, what with his demonic attributes, but he sent a flat glare at her and she sighed, shrugging. Whatever. They were probably trying to placate Inuyasha's ranting about her and Sesshomaru.

"Is everyone full?" she asked softly. She received a chorus of affirmative answers from her companions. She repacked the pot into her bag, and dragged out her sleeping bag. It was way too early to go to sleep on any normal person's clock, but she had learned over the years that waking with the first light sapped her dry. She needed to go to sleep much earlier if she was supposed to be tramping around at four in the morning.

Kagome went behind a tree to change with pajamas after threatening the boys with untimely deaths if they followed her. Sesshomaru's raised eyebrow made it clear what he had thought of her threats, but they had mainly been for the other two males, especially Miroku. The lecher was not above sneaking peeks to get cheap thrills. She frowned, remembering the times that she had caught either him, Inuyasha, or both of them spying on her baths. It had gotten so bad that she had taken to wearing a bathing suit. She supposed that it was healthy for males to want to see a female's body, but they had no right to play peeping tom!

She finished changing and packed her dirty clothes back into her seemingly bottomless bag. After the first few months, Inuyasha had taken to carrying it, seeing as it was so heavy with all of the extra stuff she had needed to bring. He probably felt responsible, since most of the stuff had been for him.

She wormed her way into her sleeping bag and rested her head on the inflatable pillow that she had promptly bought the first time she had returned home after falling into the well. It had served her well, all these years. Shippo immediately jumped into her arms, and she smiled, hugging him closer to her.

She tried to fall asleep, but she couldn't help thinking about Sesshomaru's arm. She hated to see the proud inuyoukai burdened with the missing limb, but perhaps it would humble him. Perhaps he would learn to see others' help as necessary, not a weakness.

Kagome snorted at her own foolishness and at her present train of thought. When she saw a flying pig, she would believe that the arrogant demon lord she knew would ever admit that he needed help.

But he had, she realized. He had asked for her help rolling up her sleeve.

Perhaps it was time look to the skies and capture a pig with wings.

Kagome giggled, but her thoughts kept being drawn back to the same old topic: how to restore Sesshomaru's arm. Finally she sighed, and closed her eyes. There was no physical way it could be done, and she _needed_ this sleep. She cast about to find a topic completely disconnected from severed arms. She immediately filled her thoughts of calculus. Yep. As she had expected, those thoughts immediately put her to sleep, and she snored ungracefully, flopping onto her side and gathering her sleeping bag closer to her. The kitsune snuggled into her side, and also fell asleep, peacefully dreaming of retribution he would enact on Inuyasha when he was big and strong...ahhhh. Bliss.

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Kagome shot up, and opened her eyes in amazement. She silently contemplated for a few moments, and then exited her sleeping bag. She placed her adoptive son in the sleeping bag, hoping that her scent and the warmth that it had absorbed from her body would calm him, and keep him from waking until she was done with this. It wasn't exactly the sort of thing she wanted him to be waking up in the middle of, after all.

She tip-toed over to Sesshomaru, and made sure that he was asleep, monitoring his breathing. Well, even if he were to waken in a minute, it wouldn't matter. It would be too late for him to interfere.

An evil chuckle built up in her throat. After this, he would certainly not be able to call her a 'weak human.'

She slowly advanced on him, and crouched down. When she was close enough, she softly, ever so softly eased Tenseiga from its place in his sash. She grinned wickedly and stood back up. She pointed the sword at his left shoulder, setting the tip of it right upon the cloth covering his flesh.

Golden eyes snapped open. Within moments, Kagome was thrown backwards. Sesshomaru stood over her.

He silently looked at her choice of weapon, and then back up to her face. "Why, Kagome." He said to her, "if you had wanted to kill me, you certainly shouldn't have chosen this sword. It is incapable of rendering me any harm, didn't you know?" His tone was hard, his eyes were stony and cold, betraying no other emotion.

Kagome's last thought was '_Uh-oh._'

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A/N: soo, what do you think? I seem to have a thing going for cliffies lately. ;) It's a little more than 11 ½ pages! Woo-hoo!! Sorry it took me so long, major tests in ap bio and psych held me up. Besides getting dismal grades in my math class. . But it's all good.

Thank you so, so much to the following reviewers:

Mlmonty, dimpleslane1992,

Tales reign,

Obessedwithroxas,

Umi no kaiso,

Jadestonetheyounger,

Creambunny156,

Most unlikely angel, Mangadreams

And j.j. ryan

Mlmonty: yeah, real life sucks, I am soo considering dropping out right now (well, not really, but school is a bitch.)

Tales reign: yay, I made you want to leave a review!

Obsessedwithroxas: flattered, definitely. Haha. ;) not anyone can claim that I have called them my lesbian lover, after all.

Umi no kaiso- no me gusta espanol. Ok, that's about all I can say. Hah, now we're getting into verb conjugations and I'm just like…wtf?!

Creambunny156: I want your bunny!

j.j. ryan: haha, I'm not sure what that means, I guess we haven't gotten that far yet. 'es genial?'

Mostinlikelyangel: yeah, he was a bit oc, but there's no way to really make a sessxkag pairing without making one of them being oc. Really. Well, maybe there is, but I'm not good enough to do it, so... (plus, it's fun making sess oc.) You don't mean for it to happen. In fact, this entire story sprang from a half page drabble that I wrote. The part that I wrote can be found in the end of chapter 13 (well, I admit that it has been a little adapted to suit my purposes). But it's the part where he skays 'do you realize how stupid the stunt you just pulled is' and down. Yep. That short little bit caused this entire story to take shape. Weird, isn't it?

Haha, sorry to everyone, I always hated authors who took up half the chapter giving responses, but...I am doing it myself. What a hypocrite. Ah well. I'll try to keep them short (I obviously didn't succeed, if you look at the length of mostunlikelyangel's answer).  anyways...ta ta!


	17. Mistaken Motives and Hotspring Inter

The Disappearing Well

By chair-chan

Posted: 9-11-07 (I think)

Mistaken Motives and Hot-spring Interrogations

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"W—what?" Asked Kagome, a confounded look on her face. Sesshomaru just shook his head.

To think. He had trusted her, respected her. And as soon as he turned around, she stabbed him in the back. His eyes grew red. Kagome's miko powers rose to counter the perceived demon threat.

Sesshomaru's rage mounted as Kagome stared at him.

"Why would you think that I wanted to kill you?!" She practically screeched.

"Silence!" he roared at her. Kagome was so shocked, her grip on Tenseiga loosened. The sword tip was still resting on his shoulder. Her purification powers were now at their peak, aroused by the angry demon presence so close and threatening to her.

Sesshomaru then shook Kagome, the only human woman who had ever garnered his trust. Really, he had been back-stabbed so many times it was a wonder that he was still surprised. It was just that he had never expected it from _her_.

As Sesshomaru shook Kagome, three things happened. First, her light control of her powers immediately snapped. They rushed out of her as the proverbial dam broke. Second, Tenseiga started glowing a light blue. Third, Kagome dropped the now-burning sword.

The healing sword sliced right through the shoulder that it was resting on. As it did this, its blue glow diminished, along with Kagome's released powers. The sword landed on the ground with a dull thunk.

Sesshomaru was about to start choking Kagome until she told him what the hell was going on, until he felt a tingling in his arm. His left arm, to be specific.

He let her go, and she slid down to meet the ground. He held his severed limb in front of him as suddenly, it started glowing purple, a combination, apparently, of Tenseiga and Kagome's powers. One second his lower arm was not there, and the next, it was. The bright light faded until it was possible to look at the new arm without wincing.

Sesshomaru brought his eyes back to the shaking human on the ground, and gripped her arm, roughly hauling her up. He proceeded to march away, practically dragging her behind him. The girl stumbled behind him, staggering and trying to keep her balance. Suddenly, he turned back to her, snarling in her face.

"What did you do?!" he growled in a deadly voice. Kagome, for once, was quiet. It took him a second to realize that she was crying. He stepped back and assessed his situation. The human girl had (however unknowingly) healed his arm. What had at first looked like a failed murder attempt now looked suspiciously like one of Kagome's idiotic spur-of-the-moment ideas that she just _had_ to try.

"I—I didn't mean for you to think that...that I was trying to kill you!" she sniffled. "I just suddenly woke up...and I knew what I had to do! I feel so bad that Inuyasha cut off your arm...I just wanted to fix it."

Sesshomaru sighed. He couldn't _not_ believe her, when she said it so earnestly while tears ran down her face. "Kagome," he stalled her, "I believe you." It sounded just like one of her harebrained schemes. But it had actually worked! It was only now that Sesshomaru finally realized that she had restored his arm. His arm! The body part that he had never dared to hope would ever grow back, had been returned to him.

"Y—you do?" she asked haltingly, her breath shuddering out as she tried to control her sobs.

"Yes." He said. "Does this Sesshomaru lie?"

"Sometimes." She answered truthfully, giving a watery giggle.

"Well, I am not lying now. Thank you." He let go of her, realizing that he still had a bruising grip on her elbow.

Kagome tentatively looked up at him, and then down at her shoes. She slowly leaned forward, and wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head on his chest. Sesshomaru brought his arms up as well.

He found that he had a strong urge to comfort her, to keep her safe. He did not want her beautiful eyes red-rimmed and grainy from tears.

He allowed her to cling on to him, and he gently rubbed soothing circles on her back.

They could only stay in this position for a few minutes. Kagome, as much as she loathed to move from this most comfortable of positions, was rather tired. She was literally falling asleep on her feet.

"Come. You need to catch up on your rest." Sesshomaru gripped her around the waist, much more gently now, with both arms—arms, he thought gleefully—and speeded back to camp. As he put her down, he put his mouth next to her ear. "Let us try not to have such misunderstandings again, yes?" Kagome gave a little giggle and walked back to her sleeping bag, ignoring the look that the rest of the camp, now awake, was shooting her.

"Why is she still alive?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing.

"Do you wish me to rectify my mistake?" asked Sesshomaru in a smooth tone. Kagome looked up, startled, but must have been reassured by something in his glance. She relaxed and lay down once more.

"..."

Sesshomaru gave Inuyasha a condescending glance, and turned his back on the hanyou, striding into the darkness.

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"Ahhhh..." Kagome groaned as somebody prodded her side with a foot. "Whaaaaa..."

"Let her sleep." She heard an icy voice command. After a suitable amount of time, the foot retreated, though not without much grumbling and cursing. She soon fell back into oblivion.

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"Good morning, Kagome." Said a female voice.

"Is it morning?" asked Kagome sleepily, yawning.

"Well, technically, it's afternoon." The voice, now identified as Mika, chuckled.

"What?!" Kagome jerked up, snapping awake.

"Relax." Giggled Mika. "Everything's fine. We figured you needed a break after last night's fireworks."

"Ahh..." She fell back into her sleeping bag and covered her eyes with her arm. After a while, she propped her head up and glanced around.

Inuyasha was a flash of red in a nearby tree. Sango and Miroku were nowhere to be seen; Kagome dared to hope that they might be actually accomplishing something pertaining to their relationship. Mika was sitting with Shippo coloring some pictures, and Sesshomaru was leaning against a tree about ten feet to her left. She eyed him, and perversely wondered what his chest would look like without anything on. Or his butt. Or his legs. Or his shoulders. She then firmly gripped these thoughts and shoved them to the back of her head. She didn't need such thoughts popping up about the taiyoukai. He was good-looking, certainly, but some aspects of his behavior still repelled her.

Kagome scratched her head and blinked. She couldn't think of many recent examples of him being too bigoted, especially not to her. She had found that she rather liked the way he treated her now, not quite as an equal, but...as a friend.

Suddenly, his golden eyes snapped onto her gaze. Like most animals, he could tell when he was being watched. Instead of looking away, she held his gaze.

"Why didn't somebody wake me up?"

"Somebody did try." Snorted Sesshomaru. "But you were out cold. You humans certainly are fragile. I would not let the idiot hanyou wake you."

"Why do you call him that?" asked Kagome, actually feeling quite grateful that she hadn't been awakened.

"Half-breed? It's what he is."

"It isn't exactly a nice name, especially not from you."

"His given name states the same thing. Half dog-demon."

"_Still_..." Kagome trailed off. "It really hurts him."

"I doubt it." Sesshomaru sneered.

"How would you feel, if your only living relative called you a half breed. It was the reason he was kicked out in the first place."

"Yes, it was the reason that I had to force him out, but you should not speak so lightly of matters that you know nothing of. It makes you seem foolish."

"Oh, _please_ don't go all stoic on me." Kagome raised her beseeching eyebrows. "Just tell me what happened." Sesshomaru glanced up. The red flash was no longer in the tree above the campsite. The ninja was fully occupied with Shippo, who had decided to play a game of 'find me, catch me'. There was no reason not to.

He strode over, and lowered himself to the ground. He sat next to her, scooting over so that his side was touching hers. Kagome drew in a quick breath, but did nothing. This was the closest that he had ever gotten to her—that is, when he was not attempting to kill her. At first she sat rigidly, but she soon relaxed. If he was going to try something, he had had ample opportunities while she was away from her friends, under his command.

"When my father died, I was only a pup of eight human years. Inuyasha was three human years. The rule was not really in my grasp. A council of regents was appointed. Most propositions went by me, since I was not quite as young as I appeared. I had been prepared for this position since birth, it sometimes seemed, but none had expected the great Inutaisho to die so young—and over a human bitch, as well. I to this day cannot believe that he chose to die over the Bitch who killed my sister and a hanyou than live to raise his eight-year-old son." He stopped.

Kagome's hand squeezed his knee, as if prompting him to continue. He appreciated it. Any words from her now would make it too hard for him to continue.

"The first stipulation was that the half-breed and his mother be expelled. I could say nothing on the matter. Either my father's fanciful obsession leave, or my rule would be taken, put into far more "capable" hands." Here he grimaced.

"There was no way that I was going to lose my ancestral home to such a bunch of imbeciles. I stealthily rounded up several servants and found a secure home for the Bitch and her whelp, out of respect for my father's dying wish. And what did she do? She turned her nose up on the humble house, the few servants; she was sure that she could get better at her home. She was a princess, after all. She would never believe that her son would be so reviled in her own small holding.

"She was wrong. It was the last mistake that she would make. When her family heard that she had borne the "monster" a son, the slaughtered her. Never mind that when he had pursued her, they had wedded her to him in a week, trying to secure goodwill. The half-breed was once more sent off by himself, this time without his mother." Kagome gasped at the cruelty of the gesture.

"That is all, Kagome. I was so struck by the human's haughtiness that I never tracked Inuyasha down later on. Sometimes, I regret it now; perhaps I could have cured some of his terrible personality traits."

"That's so sad." Kagome sighed, and then took a chance, leaning her head onto Sesshomaru's tall shoulder. She could feel him tensing for a mere second, after which he immediately relaxed, and rested his head on top of hers. "He's been through so much...Please, can't you just make this small step?" He could not see her face, but he could tell that her tone was beseeching.

"This Sesshomaru shall try." He finally conceded. "But the han—but he still annoys me."

"That's what brothers do." Kagome said softly, with a tinge of humor in her voice. "I have a younger one too, so I should know." Again he was struck by how much he didn't know about her.

Just then, Sesshomaru must have sensed something, because his back went ramrod straight, and he stiffened. He did not move away, but he did lift his head up from hers. She took the hint and moved off his shoulder. Inuyasha broke through the undergrowth.

Kagome understood why he had moved his head from its resting place, but she appreciated that he had not raced away. Inuyasha would smell him on her anyways. It showed, in a way, that he was not ashamed of her, of whatever relationship—friendship, she reminded herself—they had.

To his credit, Inuyasha said nothing; he growled under his breath, and jumped into a tree where he glared at them. She had a notion that if he'd said anything, Sesshomaru would have been embarrassed out of ever speaking to her again.

"Will you stop doing what we were talking about?" She finally asked softly, not wanting to name names, especially when the subject of their discussion was around.

"..." She shot him a pleading look.

"It would make it so much easier on me. Plus, it would help smooth things over."

"Very well." Sesshomaru finally acquiesced. "If you insist."

"Thank you." She said softly.

"...You're welcome."

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Kagome looked around furtively. She wanted to make sure that she and Sango were _alone_, this time. Well, not quite alone. Mika was with them, but Kagome was sure that Sango wouldn't have brought her along if she didn't trust her.

"Sooo, Sango how's it going with Miroku?" The other girl asked with mischievous eyes.

"Uh..."

"Yes, do go on." Said Kagome in a faux well-bred tone, making Sango giggle and lose some of her tension.

"Well...All I am going to say is that all that groping must have given him some experience..."

"Oh, come on, you can't stop like that!!" Kagome lightly pushed her.

"No." Said Sango adamantly. "That is all that I shall say."

"Well then, I suppose that we must move on to the next victim..." Kagome offered, looking at Mika.

"Oh Kagome, how kind of you to volunteer!" exclaimed Mika quickly. Sango caught on, evilly grinning.

"Yes Kagome, continue."

"Oh...I don't know...It's all so strange. But..." She looked down, embarrassed. "I think I have a crush on Sesshomaru."

"Hah!! I knew it!" Sango's victory whoop raised a flock of birds from a nearby tree. For several moments, the air was filled with the sound of wings beating the air, and scared 'caaw's.

"_Please_ don't..." Kagome tried, but Sango was already started.

"I told you that you must have some feelings for him. I told you that you wouldn't have stayed if you didn't. I told you that he wouldn't have freed you if he didn't feel anything for you! And what did you say? 'No, you're wrong Sango, nyah nyah nyah nyah.'" She mimicked a whiny tone.

"I am sure that Kagome didn't say it like that, Sango." Mika stepped in to keep the peace. Kagome startled her with a small giggle.

"Oh, but you haven't even heard what he did this morning. I woke up, and I was watching him, wondering how certain parts of his..._anatomy_ looked unclothed (at this point Sango let out a whoop and Mika blushed), when his eyes locked on me. Inuyasha was gone, so he got up and walked over. He sat down next to me, and he actually let me put my head on his shoulder!!" the expected theatric gasps of surprise arrived.

"What's more, he put his head atop mine. We were talking about something I wanted him to stop doing, when Inuyasha barged in. Then what do you think happened?"

"He ran away." Hazarded Mika.

"He beheaded Inuyasha," said Sango, who knew Sesshomaru better.

"Nope." Kagome said with a satisfied grin. "He pulled his head off of mine, but he sat there, unmoving. I was so glad that he wasn't ashamed or embarrassed somehow."

"That's so great, Kagome!" Mika and Sango enthusiastically chimed in their support.

"Now Mika..." Kagome pinned the girl with an iron gaze. "You have much to clarify." Mika turned slightly pale and tried to escape. "What is with you and..."

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The girls tramped back to the camp, still giggling amongst themselves.

"Oh, I know one!" Said Mika.

"Is it a person?" Kagome asked.

"Uh...I don't know if it could he classified as a person."

"Does it have golden eyes?" Sango queried.

"Yes..."

"Is it a rude, infantile inu-hanyou we all love?"

"Hey, speak for yourself, Kagome." Sango lightly joked.

"You're such a cheater! How'd you know?"

"The 'he' gave it away. Inuyasha's the only male both you and I know that could be classified that way."

"Notice she is very careful to say that he is the only male both of you know. She has met some truly disgusting types." Sango quipped.

"Ugh...don't remind me. I'm not sure Koga could be considered a person either. I'm pretty sure his wolves eat humans."

Mika was looked inquisitive, so Sango explained.

"We came upon wolves feeding upon a village one day, so we chased them away, killing some. Then Koga, their leader, kidnapped Kagome. As soon as he figured out she could sense jewel shards, he used her to help him vanquish an old foe and earn two jewel shards. He is quite amorous."

"He kept telling me that I was his woman! As if! He sleeps on furs!" Kagome cut in, whining. "It was terrible! He smelled, too. But at least he kept helping us with Naraku, when he wasn't chasing after Kagura. All the while proclaiming that I was his mate, of course."

"The worst part was that he was engaged, and his poor fiancé was heartbroken. He hadn't loved her in the first place, but their joining was to merge the two tribes; his and Ayame's, the fiancé. She had been raised knowing that she was going to marry him, so when he started chasing after me you can just imagine what she was going through."

"Even though Inuyasha kept beating him up, we're still not sure he's gotten the message, as every time he sees us he seems to forget the beating he last got after calling Kagome 'his woman.'" Sango confided.

The girls could by now see the campfire. There were three suspiciously silent figures surrounding the fire, and one small furry blob huddling atop one of the figure's shoulder. As they neared, they could tell that the blob was Shippo, and his perch was Miroku. Miroku seemed to be meditating, Inuyasha was squatting sullenly, and Sesshomaru was standing gracefully, looking calm and collected.

"Well, nobody seems to have lost life or limb..." Kagome tried to lighten the intense mood.

"Though not for lack of trying." Miroku muttered. The girls noticed a large pile of what seemed to be ofudas, shredded in half. They exchanged glances, and all silently thanked Buddha that Miroku had been there to stop whatever fight had taken place.

"Thank you, Miroku, for making the peace." Said Kagome finally, having the most experience in these things.

"You are most welcome, my gracious lady." Miroku bowed as low as he could while still sitting. Kagome raised her eyebrow at him, and then smiled as she saw his gaze fixed on Sango, not her.

"You should look at those you address, my dear monk." Kagome told him, startling him out of his good-natured leer.

"Wha—?" Asked Miroku. Sango glared at him, but nevertheless sat beside him. He had only been looking, after all. As long as it was her...

"What was the fighting about?" Mika wondered aloud. The monk imperceptibly glanced toward Kagome, but quickly directed his stare at the fire.

"Nothing you should worry your pretty little head about." He said smoothly. She scowled at him.

"I am not a dog, houshi! Do not address me in such a degrading fashion!"

"Uh—Er—well, I apologize, Mika my dear, but I am not sure that the participants would want any of you women knowing what the fight was about." He finally said truthfully.

"That means that it was about one of us." Said Kagome.

"Or Inuyasha probably doesn't want you to know because he thinks you'll sit him." Sango hinted.

"You're probably right." Admitted Kagome. "Should I s— him anyways?"

"Just for good measure." Said Mika.

"Oi, wench!" The party under discussion suddenly regained his voice. "No way are you going to sit me for doing nothing!" Kagome looked pointedly to the enormous pile of sutras.

"You call that nothing?" she wanted to know.

"How do you know that was me?!" Inuyasha practically screeched. "If anybody should be sat, it's you, for sleeping in half the day and making us miss a whole day of useful work! Stupid damn bitches, always complaining about—"

"Inuyasha?" Kagome broke in.

"What is it now, wen—"

"Sit." Kagome said calmly. Inuyasha went down swearing, narrowly missing the fire. She went on to change for bed, and burrow into her sleeping bag. She tucked her arms under her head, and drowsily fell into that state between being asleep and awake. Her thoughts drifted to Sesshomaru.

She remembered the warm feeling she had gotten in the pit of her stomach when he had embraced her (albeit rather unwillingly) the night before. How nice it had felt to lay her head on his shoulder. How silky his hair felt, dropping on her cheek.

She tried to wrench her thoughts away from the subject of Sesshomaru, and to her horror, found she could not.

'_All I can think about is him!_' she realized with a shock. '_Oh my god. I think I_ like _Sesshomaru!!_'

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A/N: whew, 12 pages! Sorry for the late update, I've just been overwhelmed with schoolwork. Ap psych final, math tests, Spanish tests, bio tests...every kind of test imaginable, you name it, I've had it. Please forgive me. On the bright side, all of my work as paid off. I now have 90 in psych, 107 in Spanish (the sad part is, I don't even know what we're doing in that class), 102.3 in English, 100 in dance, 88 in precalculus, and 85 in AP Bio. I don't know why you all wanted to know that, but...? Ah well. Thank you to all of my supporters. Your reviews kept spurring me on.

Obessedwithroxas

Kyaku-kun

Purityflower, mangadreams

Tierramoon

Jadestonetheyounger

Fire tenshi, j.j. ryan,

Evelyn627

And, last, cutebaby

Oh, and thank you cutebaby for your suggestion to take off the ban on anonymous reviews, I'll try to figure out how to do that.  tell me if I have done it right by trying to leave an anonymous review. ;)

Sorry there's no individual replies this time.  I'd rather get this chapter up and running. I'm sure you guys would rather have this, anyways.


	18. Realizations

The Disappearing Well

By: chair-chan

Posted: 12-11-07

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and co. are not mine. That's final. So don't sue.  pleeeaaase?

Realizations

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When Kagome threatened him with his sword, he brushed it away. The sword could not harm him. When her powers rose, he got a little worried. When Teneseiga started glowing blue, he was about to back away, shaking her to try and snap her out of her funk. But then she lost her grip on the sword, and it came slashing down to rest an inch from his toe. It, of course, could not cut him, being a sword of healing.

But he suddenly felt tingling in his arm; his missing arm, which was not an uncommon occurrence. He had felt phantom feelings in his 'arm' many times before, tried to pick things up with an arm that certainly felt real in his mind, but actually no longer existed. How many times had he tried to break a flop onto his futon with that arm, only to make a hard landing?

But when the arm area started glowing, he looked down at the supposedly missing appendage, and was completely shocked to find that an arm had sprouted in its absence. What he had never dared to hope for had come true, springing out of a murder attempt, no less.

He seized the girl and flew away from her inquisitive friends who were sure to take offence if he killed her within their range of sight. He roughly handled her, angry at himself for having come to trust her in the first place.

"What did you do?!" he snarled at her, more angry at himself than her. He should have expected this from a dirty, back-stabbing whore of a human. Instead, he had been caught unawares! To think of that he had been imagining that they were _friends_. Then he realized that she was crying, taking in the sad scent of tears. Her eyes were red as they filled up with tears. Strangely, the girl was silent.

It had taken him some time to realize that tears were running down her cheeks. He was almost startled out of his anger. First he thought "Oh, nice way to get out of the consequences for killing somebody, sobbing and saying 'I didn't mean to.'" But he had to be fair to her. He stepped back and looked at the entire situation. At this point his actions seemed quite ridiculous. Granted, he had been woken in the middle of the night with a sword pointed at his throat, but with this girl, he should have learned to expect the unexpected.

Suddenly, the events of the night seemed like one of Kagome's badly conceived spur-of-the-moment ideas that she had once insisted she 'had' to try.

"I—I didn't mean for you to think that...that I was trying to kill you!" she sniffled. "I just suddenly woke up...and I knew what I had to do! I feel so bad that Inuyasha cut off your arm...I just wanted to fix it."

He sniffed her scent. She did not display any of the so-called 'liar's signs'. She did not blink too much. She was not perspiring—and if she had been, that was easily attributable to her situation; not many people survived a huge demon lord threatening them. She was breathing a little quickly, but again, he had an idea that this had more to do with his close proximity than any lie she might be telling.

"Kagome," he sighed, wanting to halt the flow of tears, "I believe you." This instance really wasn't his fault; after all, who _wouldn't_ misinterpret waking up with a sword to their shoulder as a murder attempt?! But he really didn't like to see her cry. Something in the vicinity of his stomach fluttered at the thought of her tears, and he had a strong urge to stop them, no matter what it took.

"Y—you do?" she asked haltingly, beautiful eyes upturned to his face. Her breath shuddered out haltingly; she sounded like she was trying to control her sobs. He wanted to tell her that it was alright to cry, that he was there, but something within him still resisted.

"Yes." He finally said. "Does this Sesshomaru lie?" He wondered why she doubted him. Although he had to admit, the persona he had used around her and her friends even a few months ago would not be in keeping with his present attitude.

"Sometimes," she said, giggling a little bit. He had broken the tension with his little attempt at a crack.

"Well, I am not lying now. Thank you." He said. He was immensely grateful to her for returning to him the one thing that he had never hoped for, the one thing that he couldn't heal by himself.

She looked up at him with watery eyes, and then back down. He was about to ask her what the matter was _now_ when she took him completely by surprise, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest.

As much as he hated to admit it, it felt strangely...right. Nice, almost. He allowed his arms to drift up and rub soothing circles on her back. He handled her gently now, softly feathering the touches.

When she pulled away, he almost didn't want to let go, but he knew that if they were away for much longer, her friends would fear the worst, and search for her.

"Come." He said. "You need to catch up on your rest." Reluctant to let go of her yet, he encircled her waist with his arms and made his way back to camp. Putting his mouth next to her ear, he whispered, "Let us try not to have such misunderstandings again, yes?" He could feel the shiver that struck her body. He let her go then as she giggled, and entered her sleeping bag once more.

He glanced around to a circle to hostile and suspicious glances. He frowned and decided to ignore them.

"Why is she still alive?!" Inuyasha apparently didn't want his miko among the living. 'Does he want her dead?' Sesshomaru briefly wondered.

"Do you wish me to rectify my mistake?" he asked, not understanding why Inuyasha would ask such an obviously leading question. He could hear Kagome's heartbeat speeding up, her breath coming short as she gasped silently. He quickly darted his gaze towards her: she was sitting up, her eyes wide. She stared into his eyes for a minute. Whatever she saw must have reassured her somehow, because her breathing slowed, and she lay back down.

Inuyasha gave him no answer.

He gave the hanyou a condescending glance, and turned his back on him, gliding out of the clearing. He faded into the gloomy darkness.

He needed to calm down.

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Sesshomaru flicked the blood of his prey off of his claw-tips, sniffing the air. No other predators challenged him for his kill. He sneered at the dead wolf, and considered. Usually he would not bother with such a meal, but...even he needed to eat sometimes. He didn't even want to think about how long he hadn't eaten, out of deference for the humans. His human.

Sesshomaru's head snapped up. When had he started regarding her as his? Why was he being so possessive? So protective?

He gazed off into the distance. As he had told her, he found her countenance pleasing. More than pleasing. Beautiful.

He found her company satisfactory—alright, he admitted, he actually _enjoyed_ her company.

Whenever she spoke, he found himself interested, no matter how stupid the subject. And when she was silent, he found himself watching her, wishing that she was talking.

'_What does all of this mean?!_' He asked himself. '_What is this supposed to be?!_'

'I think you should just claim her and be done with it.'

'_For once, your advice is good._'

'Thank you.'

'_I can't believe I just agreed with you._'

'Technically, since I'm you, you're agreeing with yourself.'

'_Right. Joy. Now that we have all of our...er...personas...in harmony, what am I going to do?_'

'Wow...she must really mean something to you if you're willing to ask for help.'

'_As you so astutely stated, I am you. You should know what goes on in my mind._' Sesshomaru was having trouble reining in his acerbic wit, but reminded himself that it was for the greater good.

'I have taught you well, young grasshopper.'

'_My patience is growing thin._'

'_**Growing?**_'

'_Do you have a problem with my word choice?_'

'No, not at all...'

'_This is getting us nowhere. So much for taking advice from you._'

'Fine then. I can see when I'm not wanted.' With that, the annoying voice disappeared, and Sesshomaru was back to square one. He sighed, and looked back at the rapidly-cooling wolf.

'_If I must..._' he thought in disgust, '_I must._' He set upon the meal.

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Sesshomaru returned to camp silently, still the perfect killer. He stood at the edge of the grove. He had taken his time feeding, cleaning up thoroughly afterwards. He did not want Kagome seeing him covered in blood. Although she had seen his dog-form, one of his more monstrous aspects, he still couldn't believe that she would love to wake up to a blood-encrusted face.

Love. That word again.

He stood guard over the group, and did not shift as each got up. Sunlight was streaming weakly through the trees. Inuyasha complained loudly about their member who was still sleeping, and he proclaimed that he was going to wake her. Bu the time his toe nudged her ribs, Sesshomaru was standing on the other side of the girl, fire burning in his eyes.

"Ahhhhh..." Kagome moaned. "Whaaaaa..."

"Let her sleep." Commanded Sesshomaru angrily. Inuyasha looked at him, withdrew the foot, and whirled around, stalking off to the other side of camp so he could sulk in peace. Sesshomaru nodded decisively, pleased with the outcome of the confrontation. Inuyasha, a lower ranking member than he, had submitted to his alpha. Sessshomaru then settled against a nearby tree to meditate.

'Why did I even care if he wakes her up?' he questioned himself. 'Sometimes I just do not understand myself...'

As Sesshomaru sat there, he found his eyes being drawn to Kagome. He rested his gaze upon her small face. Her long black eyelashes rested peacefully on her cheeks. Her full lips occasionally quirked into sighs or mumbles. Her long black hair tumbled around her bedroll, and her upturned nose gave her a pixie-ish look.

Sesshomaru remembered her unique eye-color. He didn't know many humans who had blue eyes. Sometimes he felt as if he could look at those eyes forever...

Sesshomaru snorted. Now who was getting sentimental?

His gaze moved downward. Kagome obliged him by rolling over and flinging her bedroll off in her sleep, baring herself to him. All she was wearing was the skimpy 'tank top' she apparently found so comfortable, along with baggy pants patterned in plaid.

Sesshomaru drank in her body features, and he had to make an effort to notice his surroundings. This could prove to be potentially dangerous, this...obsession...with the girl. He snorted. The love of a human woman was what had ultimately killed his father. He would not be so weak.

For several hours, Sesshomaru sat, lost in thought. The humans bustled about, eating, chatting, and keeping the kitsune busy. The human ninja, Mika, even tried to coax Inuyasha down from his tree. Sesshomaru had raised his eyebrow, and had been duly amused when he had screamed curses at her. Then he had been obligated to knock the dog out of the tree to shut him up. Thankfully, Kagome hadn't awakened because of his yells.

Finally, when the Mika woke the girl up, half the day was over. Sesshomaru was sitting with his eyes closed when he felt somebody's gaze upon him. He opened his eyes just a tiny bit, curious as to the identity of his admirer. He had then quickly shut them, as Kagome's eyes were roving up and down his body. He didn't want to scare her away _too_ soon, after all.

First she studied his face. Then her gaze moved downward. He wondered how long she would be content to sit there and drool over him.

'Ego, much?' asked his youkai, its voice tinged with amusement.

'_Shut up._' Sesshomaru snarled internally. He resisted shaking his head; instead, he slowly, ever so slowly, opened his eyes. This had had a stunning effect on any female he had ever subjected himself to. They had literally melted under his gaze, which suited him quite well.

He could hear her gasp, but she held his gaze. He sighed, almost disappointed that she wasn't melting at his beauty. "Why didn't anybody wake me up?" she asked.

"Somebody did try." Sesshomaru said slowly, not knowing how to phrase his reply. Somehow, all of a sudden, he didn't know what to say around her. Why? He shoved that to the back of his mind, and realized that he was actually...nervous. "But you were out cold. You humans certainly are fragile. I would not let the idiot hanyou wake you."

He stifled a wince. He hadn't meant it to come out _exactly_ like that...

Sesshomaru wondered what had happened to him all of a sudden. He was nervous around the girl, he enjoyed preening under her appreciative gaze, he was protective of her, and he had admitted that he wanted to claim her. All of these were not things he had ever felt about a female—or at least, not things he had ever admitted to himself.

"Why do you call him that?" Kagome shook him out of his reverie.

"Half-breed?" Sesshomaru had asked, just to make sure, since he had been lost in his own mind for a few minutes. "It's what he is."

"It isn't exactly a nice name, especially not from you."

"His given name states the same thing. Half dog-demon." Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, wondering why his nick-name for his half-brother would bother her so much.

"_Still_..." Kagome trailed off. "It really hurts him."

"I doubt it." His face contorted into a sneer rather on principle, not for any real reason.

"How would you feel, if your only living relative called you a half-breed? It was the reason he was kicked out in the first place." Kagome's expression seemed almost pleading.

"Yes, it was the reason that I had to force him out, but you should not speak so lightly of matters you know nothing of. It makes you seem foolish." Sesshomaru was angry. She didn't know anything! What made her think that she knew better than he did? He wasn't proud of his actions, but the decision really hadn't been up to him. The hanyou had coped, just as Sesshomaru would have had he been in his brother's place. Yes, it might have made things harder for him, but it hadn't been a piece of cake for Sesshomaru, either.

"Oh, _please_ don't go all stoic on me." Kagome said. At that moment, Sesshomaru realized that he really was going stoic. At most times, he loved the façade he called his face, but at times like these...He came to the realization that he didn't really want to be like this with Kagome. Not with _her_. "Just tell me what happened."

Sesshomaru's senses took in the movement in his vicinity. Nobody was close enough to hear them. The hanyou was away somewhere, probably sulking. He rose, still not wanting to chance anybody hearing. He walked across the clearing, and settled gracefully down next to Kagome. After a slight hesitation, he scooted over, so that his knee touched hers, his torso adjacent to hers. Kagome drew in a breath, but Sesshomaru did nothing. Again, he didn't want to scare her away.

Again, Sesshomaru pondered his sanity. It was becoming overwhelmingly clear to him that something different was going on here. Since when did he ever wait for a female to be comfortable?

Then again, he reflected, this was different. Here he was, almost wooing a girl (ridiculous, the notion of him skirt-chasing, he told himself), when usually the opposite happened, the gold-diggers flinging themselves at him. Of course, his good looks and his prowess in bed were not to be sneezed at.

Different. That's what this whole thing was. Sesshomaru resolved that, since she was different, he should treat her differently from the court butterflies he so detested. He should treat her...as an equal.

And so he began the sordid story of his past.

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"That's so sad." Kagome sighed. Her eyes, when he looked at them, seemed liquid, almost as if she were suppressing tears. She stiffened for a moment, and Sesshomaru was about to ask her what was wrong when she took him by surprise. Unusually bold, she actually initiated contact, leaning her head on his shoulder. He tensed, surprised. He actually had to force himself to relax; he didn't know how long Kagome would stay calm if he was tense. She'd probably think she was doing something wrong. To ward this off, Sesshomaru laid his head atop hers, his silver hair mingling with her sooty black.

"He's been through so much," she said, continuing her earlier train of thought. "Please, can't you make this small step?"

"This Sesshomaru shall try." Sesshomaru finally gave way to his human. "But the han-but he still annoys me."

"That's what brothers do." Kagome said lightly, trying to break up the heavy feel in the air. "I have a younger one too, so I should know." Sesshomaru blinked, and realized just how much he did not know about Kagome. He then reflexively sniffed the air, monitoring his surroundings. It was his nose that told him an unwanted intruder was approaching. He stiffened and jerked his head off of Kagome's shoulder. The girl understood the silent signals, and lifted her head up as well. Sesshomaru found himself grateful, for once, that she was so perceptive.

Inuyasha proceeded to stomp into sight. He stopped for a moment, and looked at them sitting together, but then continued stomping into the clearing, muttering under his breath. He jumped into a tree, and watched them, still mumbling and growling to himself.

"Will you stop doing what we were talking about?" Kagome finally ventured vaguely. Again, he felt gratitude; he certainly didn't want his brother to know that he'd been the topic of their discussion. Sesshomaru remained silent for a while. "Please?" She pleaded. Sesshomaru gave in.

"Very well. If you insist." This was the most graceful surrender he could muster at the moment. It was a marvel he was even admitting she was right. Especially when it came to Inuyasha, the ungrateful brother who had hated him for so long.

"Thank you." She surprised him. He had not expected her to thank him for such a reluctant agreement.

"...You're welcome."

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Sesshomaru sighed, and stared into the fire, reaching in with his bare hand to stir it a little. He noticed the monk's look of awe. The girls had scampered off to the hot-springs to gossip and bathe. Sesshomaru had cleansed himself after he had eaten his kill, so he had nothing to worry about. He himself could not speak for the monk and his brother's bathing habits, but from the smell of things, they were dismal.

They had sat for quite a few minutes before Inuyasha finally glanced up at him.

"What are you doing to Kagome." Inuyasha demanded. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, and wondered what had prompted the new bout of protectiveness.

"I was not aware that I was doing anything to her, Inuyasha."

"Yes you are! You were sitting side-by-side this morning. You're protective of her, you're nice to her; you wanted to let her get more sleep. I want to know what's going on."

"Inuyasha, this may not be the best way—" The wise advice of the monk was ignored and interrupted.

"Shut up, houshi. What's going on between you two?! I want to know!" Sesshomaru reflected that his brother sounded like an infant squalling for sweets.

"What are you insinuating, han—Inuyasha?"

"That you want her to relieve some...needs."

When he heard those words, Sesshomaru went cold with rage. To think that he wanted Kagome for those reasons...He narrowed his eyes at his half-brother, and bared his fangs in a gesture for submission. As the most powerful male in this group, he was the Alpha. Therefore, Inuyasha, a fellow dog, should show him the proper respect. The insolent whelp was not even begging for forgiveness yet, holding his head up high. Sesshomaru growled. Inuyasha growled back. A direct challenge. This, he could not tolerate.

Sesshomaru lunged at Inuyasha, but before he could reach him, the monk threw a veritable cartload of ofudas at Sesshomaru. He sneered and ripped right through the bits of paper imbued with purifying magic. He landed right next to Inuyasha, and knocked him down, his muzzle elongating. He took Inuyasha's neck in his now-huge mouth, and growled.

"Submit."

Inuyasha finally realized what Sesshomaru wanted, and went completely limp. Sesshomaru growled in satisfaction and gently put his brother down, his face returning to a humanoid form. They all settled down. The fox appeared, jumped to the houshi's shoulder, and opened his mouth. He shut it, however, when he became aware of the oppressive silence.

Before too long, the girls sauntered into the clearing. They stopped when they saw the evidence of violence. Finally, Kagome cleared her throat. "Well, nobody seems to have lost life or limb."

"Though not for lack of trying." The monk muttered. Sesshomaru shot him a poisonous look.

"Thank you, Miroku, for keeping the peace." Kagome shrugged.

"You're most welcome, gracious lady." Miroku bowed and sneaked glances at Sango.

"You should look at those you address, my dear monk." Kagome chided.

"Wha—" The monk looked up to Sango's glare.

"What was all the fighting about?" Mika interrupted the argument that was sure to follow.

"Nothing you should worry your pretty head about." Miroku said smoothly. Mika scowled.

"I am not a dog, houshi! Do not address me in such a degrading fashion!"

"Uh—er—well, I apologize Mika my dear, but I am not sure the participants would want any of you women knowing what the fight was about."

"That means it was about one of us." Kagome deduced. At this point, Sesshomaru blanked out the rest of the conversation, bored with it. That is, until Inuyasha slammed into the ground, narrowly missing the fire. Kagome stomped off to her bedroll, and got in. One after the other, all of the occupants of the group dropped off.

Except Sesshomaru. He stood watch over everyone again, not realizing that he no longer just did it to protect Kagome—he did it to protect everyone. Even Inuyasha.

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A/N: Hello!! Long time no see! But, I'm back. As always.

What can I say, I promised that I'd finish this. It's just a lull in the story, though, before something interesting happens. That'll be real soon...but it might not be what you expect.  I'll dedicate the next chapter to whoever can guess what's gonna happen next, but I warn you, there's been no clue to it yet in the entire story, so...;)

So, how'd you like it from Sesshy's perspective? Good? Bad? Okay? Terrible?

Anyways, the more reviews I get, the quicker I post the chapter (that sounds terrible, doesn't it?). I'm not saying that I won't update unless I get reviews. I will update at some point anyhow, but the more people I get saying anything along the terms of 'update,' 'I like this story,' or even giving me feedback makes me feel like people actually read this story. And then I feel like I have to write the chapter for those people to read (you're pretty much guilting me into it ). So hence, the chapter gets written quicker, and I post quicker. Lovely. 

Thank you to the following reviewers:

Jadestonetheyounger

j.j.ryan

inufefinogara199

lindajrjt

obessed with roxas

tierramoon

rebellangell21

and last, but not least...dun dun dun...

shelby

reviewer responses:

to Shelby: thank you, that's flattering  I hope I can keep the standards up to your expectations.

To mysterious miko of moonlight: haha, yeah, if I met such a pretty guy I'd probably run away before the fangirl-horde he must have would reach me.

Actually, I would probably be fairly certain any guy that pretty and flamboyant would be gay, so sorry, I would try stay to spy on the equally beautiful fan-_boys_.

To J.J.Ryan: haha. Please keep up the funny comments . It's not as close as you think. I do like some quick romances, and I will write some, but this isn't one of them. I think this one will be a little more realistic (about as realistic as a story containing demons can be, at an y rate) 

Wow, I'm using way too many smiley-faces.  lol.


	19. Revelations and Embarrassment

The Disappearing Well

By: chair-chan

Posted: 7-26-09

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and co. are not mine. That's final. So don't sue. pleeeaaase?

Revelations and Embarrassment

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Kagome was awakened by a desperate shout.

"Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru!"

It took her a few seconds to realize that the person was screaming for Sess. She hadn't called him Lord in such a long time, she had almost forgotten his title. At this point, another screech rang through the clearing, this one disturbingly close by. She bolted upright, pulling her sleeping bag up as high as it could go.

Her startled eyes fell on a toad-like creature, disgustingly smelly and short. Its bulbous eyes flew around wildly, and it panted. Right behind it, there was a great crash.

Ah. Kagome remembered its name now. Jaken. She turned her gaze to whatever was chasing it. Out of the early-morning gloom emerged a dragon.

Kagome was about to try to reach her bow when she saw a small human girl on its back. The dragon lumbered up, and then bent down, allowing her to jump off. Sesshomaru padded up to it, stroking its nose and looking down at the girl.

"Why are you here, Jaken?" Sesshomaru scowled, his tone annoyed.

"Milord, I tried to defend her, but there were just too many! I had to flee!"

"What is it?!" Sesshomaru's impatient expression now bordered on murderous.

"The cats...A band of about thirty arrived at our dwelling this morning. Not the castle, but where Rin stays when she's visiting the village. I don't know how they got there, but they were trying to get her!" Jaken looked frightened down to the bone.

"What colors were they wearing?" Sesshomaru's expression was now definitely in the realm of murderous, becoming more and more so every second that passed.

"Neutral, milord. They had no official affiliation. But...I caught sight of a pin on one of them...It bore the symbol of the East."

Sesshomaru's fangs were bared, and he was starting to scare Rin. His eyes were turning slightly red, and the little girl was close to crying.

"Sesshomaru!" Kagome ran up to him, trying to snap him out of his rage. It didn't work. "Sess," She said softly, placing her hands on his chest. His eyes flashed to hers, all the muscles in his body tensing. After a long second, he relaxed, his eyes turning back into their normal golden color, his fangs retracting enough so that he could close his mouth.

Rin, seeing her lord return to normal, calmed down. She'd started to sniffle, and she wiped her nose on her sleeve.

Kagome and Sesshomaru's eyes were still locked. Finally, he looked away. He knew that she did not understand what this meant, but his brother surely would. The demon slayer probably would also.

It was a sign of submission. When he looked away from her stare, he submitted to her will.

...A male usually submitted to his female before he took her as a mate...

Sesshomaru frowned, and wiped such thoughts from his mind, wondering how they'd gotten there.

"I must go," was all that he said. He turned tersely on his heel, and within three minutes had gathered all of his possessions and composed himself.

"Sess...Let me go with you." Kagome said, looking at him.

"No. This is a task for me, and me alone. I will return once my mission is fulfilled."

Kagome knew he would never change his mind, and so she let him go. She wasn't expecting him to turn around and grasp her tightly to him, though. Tentatively, she hugged him back. He released her abruptly. "I shall return soon." He said firmly, and then he was gone, zipping away in his energy-form.

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Kagome sat with Shippo and Rin. Shippo was lying on the ground next to the human girl, introducing her to crayons and coloring books. Kagome's mind was free to wander.

It was evening already. The day had been a lazy one. Inuyasha had of course complained at having to stay in one spot to wait for his brother, but Kagome had insisted upon it. No matter how hard Inuyasha tried to convince her that his brother could find them no matter where they went, Kagome would not budge on the position.

In the meantime, she'd studied, practiced with her sword, and even tried her hand at a bit of calligraphy. She was sure that if Sess saw her work, he'd think it horrendous, but he wasn't around, so she tried.

As much as she hated to say it...the day had been...lonely. Oh, she was surrounded by friends, by people she loved. But for some reason, her relationship with them was not the same as it was with Sesshomaru. Inexplicably, she found herself...missing him.

'Get ahold of yourself, girl!' She thought to herself. 'It hasn't even been a day! What could you miss so much about him?'

Kagome furrowed her brows. That was a good question.

Somehow, conversations with Sesshomaru never turned out the way she thought they would. In some ways he was extremely predictable; in others, not at all. Kagome liked that unpredictability, to an extent. It challenged her mentally. And he was never unpredictably violent, not anymore, so she didn't have to worry about that.

Kagome pondered the subject some more. Yes, Sesshomaru could always offer her a good debate, or a piece of information she hadn't considered in her arguments, but that wasn't it.

Somehow, she also missed his presence. The way it felt to know that he was with their group. The way she was at peace when she knew he was watching over them. She missed his quiet bouts; he could go literally days without saying a word, but she always knew that he was there. He had a silent presence. Sometimes, she could even guess what he was thinking.

The girl missed the way that he'd try to protect her, in his own clumsy way. She missed the united front they'd present to the others, no matter what they'd argued about amongst themselves.

Kagome missed the way he'd hugged her, and the appreciative glances she caught once in a while, when she said something particularly intelligent. She missed the look of veiled admiration in his eyes when her skirt rode up a bit.

Hell, she even missed their arguments and banter.

Kagome's eyes widened as she realized that they'd almost been...flirting. All that time. And she hadn't realized it, hadn't thought of it.

The miko wondered when she'd stopped thinking of Sesshomaru as the evil half-brother, and started thinking of him as a _man_. An eligible man, with a heart-breaking face and a body most only dreamed of.

Youkai had all the luck.

Kagome wanted to smack herself. She had a...crush...on Sesshomaru. A crush.

It wasn't only that. It was more than that. The way she was describing their interactions was the way Yuka had described her most serious boyfriend, the one she'd been dating for almost three years now.

Kagome groaned, and rolled over, slapping her hands over her face.

"Mama?" Shippo wanted to know. "Why are you doing that?"

"No reason, Shippo." Kagome said, her words muffled. "Mommy's silly sometimes."

The kitsune, aged way beyond his years by his life experiences, skeptically went back to his coloring books. He wasn't about to fall for that one.

"How can she be your Mommy if you're a full demon and she's a human?" Rin asked curiously.

"Kagome-mama adopted me." Shippo said proudly, puffing his chest out.

"Oh." Rin said, thinking for a second. "Will Kagome-mama adopt me too?" she asked innocently.

Kagome tightened her hands over her face.

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Sesshomaru crouched perfectly still. The morning sun filtered through the trees of the forest he was currently in.

He'd reached the village Rin had stayed at the day before, and had inspected it thoroughly. He'd interrogated several village people, and had come up with little additional information, other than the fact that the soldiers had been there and that they'd left once Rin had gotten away.

He'd scouted the area around the village, and had concluded that the demons were camped out in the forest that he was currently patrolling.

Sesshomaru was proceeding cautiously. He didn't know whether or not the demons had already reported to the Lady of the East, but considering their failure, probably not. What he needed now was for the entire force to stay in place.

As such, he'd watched them all night, crouching in this tree. He hadn't wanted even one scout to get away. He'd wanted to count their number (twenty-five), and was now confident that he could kill all of them without even one getting away, should he need to do so.

The demon lord prepared himself to set an enormous barrier around the entire force. They'd likely not realize that they were trapped, and if they did, there wasn't anything they could do about it. Demons rarely set barriers, but when they did, it was serious business. Barriers needed great power to set, and their strength was directly proportionate to the power of the demon who did the setting.

An hour later, it was done. The barrier would be permeable only to him, and to those he chose to bring with him. He transformed into his energy form, and took off, zipping towards the South.

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The Lords of the South and North inspected the camp. "My man saw the crest of the East upon one of them." Sesshomaru said.

"Well, only one way to find out." South said, cracking his knuckles.

"Leave me a few to interrogate." Sesshomaru said.

South nodded, and dropped down into the middle of the camp. Sesshomaru followed him, North going to kill any scouts the men might have posted.

In a few minutes, it was all over. There were three captured men, kept alive for interrogation purposes. All others were dead. Each dead demon, when searched, was found with an enameled pin inside their kimono bearing the crest of the East.

South checked the live men for talismans or weapons, and North checked them for magical compulsions and poisons. One was discovered to have poison within a hollow fang; it was swiftly removed.

Sesshomaru led the interrogation. It was quickly ascertained that the Lady of the East had sent these men to hurt Sesshomaru, perhaps to make him realize that caring for a human child was a weakness. This was meant to sway his new lenient stance on humanity.

Disgusted, Sesshomaru's lip rose. But he did not kill the men. They were evidence. Each lord took one, and they returned to their respective castles. Thus, if one's castle was infiltrated, and the soldier killed, there would still be two more left alive to testify against the East.

That task being concluded, Sesshomaru secured his prisoner in the deepest bowels of his most secret prison. He was tired, though, and did not have the life-force to change into his energy form. He made his way to his bedroom, kept clean by his maids, and fell asleep.

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Kagome was getting worried. It had been four days, and still, Sesshomaru had not returned. Inuyasha constantly gloated about the fact, Miroku tried to 'comfort' her, and both Mika and Sango counseled patience, trying to soothe her fears (in between interrogations about her feelings, of course).

Still, she had never realized how dependent she was upon Sesshomaru until he was gone. Kagome sighed, and shook her head, wishing that he would get back soon.

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When Sesshomaru woke up, his internal clock told him that he'd been asleep three whole days. He sat bolt upright in his bed, shocked. Had his energy-form really depleted his stores so much?!

He realized that in his urge to slaughter those who had dared threaten him and his human ward, he'd expended far more energy than he had in years. His alternate forms really sapped Sesshomaru.

The lord wandered into his bathing room, stripped, and took a long bath, cleaning himself. He washed his hair with special soaps and oils, as he always did when he had the chance. Demon hair held up remarkably well under rough conditions, but Sesshomaru liked having his as clean and silky as possible.

After he'd bathed, he walked back into his room, and dressed in clean clothes. Sesshomaru thought for a second, and then walked around his castle, packing a bag. He then slung it over his shoulder, and left. Once outside, he cocked his head. He wouldn't mind some light exercise.

And just like that, he was off in a flash, running faster than the eye could see.

Miles and miles later, he slowed to a walk, not even breathing hard. He was very close. He could smell his half-brother, and the rest.

Several minutes later, he came into their campsite. Inuyasha glared at him, and then looked off to the side, pouting. The monk rose and bowed respectfully. Mika looked slightly scared of him (she always had been a little shy around the powerful demon), while Sango just shrugged. Kagome, though, whirled around, realized who it was, ran up, and gave Sesshomaru just about the biggest hug he'd ever gotten in his life.

"Hello, Kagome." He finally said quietly.

"Sesshomaru," she said, letting go of him. "I...missed you. You were gone for a while."

"I depleted my energy stores." He said. "I slept for several days." Then he glanced around, and leaned down to her ear. "This Sesshomaru missed your presence." He whispered.

He stepped away and Kagome stared at him, her mouth falling open. Then she, too, glanced around. All of her friends were nowhere to be seen. She hesitated for a second, and then leaned up, pulled his face down, and kissed his cheek.

Sesshomaru was now the one who stared at her. She blushed a painful-looking red, and fled. He was left standing there, shocked.

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Okay, honestly, I am sorry about the long wait. The Inuyasha fandom has obviously been losing its pull on me. I still maintain that this story will be finished...eventually. While the journey to completion may be long, it will happen.

Now that that is out of the way, to each and every single reviewer: THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! Seriously. You guys have no idea how much of an impact such few words can have. Every time I read a review, I would feel quite guilty, and would get perhaps another page or two written of this chapter (I apologize for its brevity, btw.). Then, inevitably, I would get pulled away into other projects. So, by now, I've actually managed to finish a whole chapter. Whew.

My deepest thanks to the following reviewers:

_InufefiNogara,_

_Mangadreams, Obsessedwithroxas,_

_Jadestonetheyounger,_

_Rebellangell21, Pearl Knight,_

_Mlmonty,_

_FaeQueenLianai, Ethrael,_

_Neko4,_

_Sesshy's Princess Kagome,_

_Tsukiko 3000,_

_Monkey-101, Natalie9653,_

_Animelover4evr,_

_Hiei lovers, L's girl duhh,_

_Megan Consoer,_

_Wren Inu-Chu RyuChi,_

_And, last but certainly (!!) not least:_

_MisrinarperadnaclesHaiDraco---(Hey, I guess you got your wish, didn't you? Lol)_

Whew! Soo many!

Special thanks to mlmonty for...well, being there since the beginning. XD. Thanks to everyone for all of their support! I guess it paid off, didn't it? At least a little. ^__^

(Please point out any mistakes! This is un-beta'd!)


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